THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

Architecture 
GIFT  OF 

Estate  of  S.  H.  Cowell 


BY    MARION    HARLAND 


Some  Colonial  Homesteads,  and  Their  Stories. 
With  86  illustrations.  8°,  gilt  top  .  .  .  $3.00 

More  Colonial  Homesteads,  and  Their  Stories. 

With  81  illustrations.     8°,  gilt  top         .         .         .        $3.00 

Where  Ghosts  Walk.  The  Haunts  of  Fa 
miliar  Characters  in  History  and  Literature. 
With  33  illustrations.  8°,  gilt  top  .  .  .  $2.50 

Literary  Hearthstones.  Studies  of  the  Home 
Life  of  Certain  Writers  and  Thinkers.  Fully  illustrated, 
16°,  gilt  top,  each $1.50 

The  first  issues  are  : 

Charlotte  Bronte.    |     William  Cowper. 

(For  Contents,  see  advts.  at  end} 


G.   P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS,  NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON. 


Doughoregan  Manor 

Home  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Maryland 


MORE  COLONIAL 
HOMESTEADS  tf  tf 
AND  THEIR  STORIES 
Bv  Marion  JHarland 


NEW  YORK  T^ND  LONDON 

G.  P.  PUTNAIYS  SONS 
1399 


COPYRIGHT,  1899 

BY 
MARY  VIRGINIA  TERHUNE 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 


Ube  Iknfcfcerbocfcer  ipress,  TRcw  Jgorfc 

Add'l 

ARCHlTtlCTURS1 

GIFT 


ARCH. 
LIBRARY 


TO 

MRS.  J.   V.   L.    PRUYN 

AND 

MISS  MARGARET  P.  HILLHOUSE 

AS  A  SLIGHT  TOKEN  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  APPRECIATION 
OF  THE  VALUABLE  ASSISTANCE  RECEIVED  FROM  THEM  IN 
THE  COLLECTION  OF  MATERIAL  FOR  HER  WORK,  AND  THE 
GENEROUS  SYMPATHY  WHICH  HAS  CHEERED  HER  AT  EACH 
STAGE  OF  THE  ARDUOUS  UNDERTAKING, 

THIS    VOLUME    IS 

CORDIALLY    AND    GRATEFULLY 

DEDICATED 

MARION  HARLAND 

October,  1899 

SUNNYBANK 

PoMPTON,   N.  J. 


210 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


I. — JOHNSON  HALL,  JOHNSTOWN,  NEW  YORK,         i 

II. — JOHNSON  HALL,   JOHNSTOWN,  NEW  YORK 

(CONCLUDED)  .....       41 

III. — LA  CHAUMIERE  Du  PRAIRIE,  NEAR   LEX 
INGTON,   KENTUCKY         ....       65 

IV. MORVEN,     THE     STOCKTON     HOMESTEAD, 

PRINCETON,    NEW    JERSEY      ...       98 

V. — MORVEN,     THE    STOCKTON     HOMESTEAD, 

PRINCETON,  NEW  JERSEY  (CONCLUDED),     128 

VI. —  SCOTIA,    THE    GLEN-SANDERS    HOUSE, 

SCHENECTADY,    NEW    YORK      .  .  .       155 

VII. TWO      SCHUYLER      HOMESTEADS,      ALBANY, 

NEW  YORK 187 

VIII.  —  DOUGHOREGAN      MANOR  :       THE     CARROLL 

HOMESTEAD,  MARYLAND         .  .     224 

IX. — DOUGHOREGAN    MANOR:     THE    CARROLL 

HOMESTEAD,  MARYLAND  (CONCLUDED),     252 

X. — THE  RIDGELY  HOUSE,  DOVER,  DELAWARE,     285 

XI. — OTHER   "OLD   DOVER"   STORIES  AND 

HOUSES   .......     315 


vi 


Contents 


PAGE 


XII.— BELMONT    HALL,    NEAR    SMYRNA,    DELA 
WARE,     .  .  ...     346 

XIII. — LANGDON   AND   WENTWORTH    HOUSES  IN 

PORTSMOUTH,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE     .         .     380 

XIV. — LANGDON  AND    WENTWORTH  HOUSES    IN 

PORTSMOUTH,  NEW    HAMPSHIRE   (CON-     412 
CLUDED) . 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


DOUGHOREGAN     MANOR,     HOME     OF     CHARLES 

CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON,  MARYLAND,  Frontispiece 
JOHNSON  HALL.    (BEGUN  IN  1743.)        ...       15 
COLONEL  JOHNSON  ......        23 

OLD  TRYON  COUNTY  JAIL  IN  JOHNSTOWN.  (BUILT 

IN  1772.)  .  33 

JOSEPH  BRANT  .....  43 

From  original  painting  at    Van   Cortlandl  Manor- 
House. 

CENTRAL  HALL  OF  JOHNSON  HALL  53 

ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH,  JOHNSTOWN,  N.  Y.  .       61 

DAVID  MEADE  AT  THE  AGE  OF  8         .         .  70 

From  original  painting  by    Thomas  Hudson.      Owned 
by  E.  P.   Williams,  Esq.,  of  New  York. 

EVERARD  MEADE,  AGED  9  -72 

MRS.  SARAH  WATERS  MEADE  81 

From  painting  in  possession  of  E.  P.    Williams,  Esq., 

of  New   York. 
COLONEL  DAVID  MEADE  AT  THE  AGE  OF  85        .       91 

From  painting  in  possession  of  E.  P.  Williams,  Esq., 
of  New   York. 

WING  OF  CHAUMIERE  LEFT  STANDING  IN   1850  .       94 
MEADE  COAT  OF  ARMS  .  96 

STOCKTON  COAT  OF  ARMS  100 


viii  Illustrations 


PAGE 


ANICE  STOCKTON    .......  107 

Frotn  original  painting  in  possession  of  Mrs.  McGill. 
THE  LINE  OF   HISTORIC  CATALPAS       .         .         .115 

RICHARD  STOCKTON  ("THE  SIGNER")         .         .  121 

MORVEN  .........  131 

COMMODORE  ROBERT  FIELD  STOCKTON         .         .  141 

DRAWING-ROOM  AT  MORVEN         ....  149 

PORTRAIT  OF  BAYARD  STOCKTON,  ESQ.        .         .  152 

THE  GIANT  HORSE-CHESTNUT  TREE    .         .         .  153 

GLEN-SANDERS  COAT  OF  ARMS     .         .                  .  156 

TABLET  IN  SCOTIA  BROUGHT  FROM  ENGLAND     .  161 

SCOTIA.    (BUILT  IN   1713) 167 

DEBORAH  GLEN'S  CLOCK        .         .         .         .         .174 

OLD  CHINA  IN  SCOTIA  ......  182 

OLD  PIANOFORTE,  ANTIQUE  CHAIR,  ROBERT  FUL 
TON'S  WASHSTAND  AND  TOILET-SET      .         .184 

Louis  PHILIPPE'S    BEDROOM  IN  SCOTIA         .         .  185 

FORT  AND  CHURCH  AT  ALBANY,   1755          .         .  188 

PETER  SCHUYLER  ("  QUIDOR  ")     ....  193 

From  original  painting  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  in  pos 
session  of  the  Schuyler  family. 

SCHUYLER  COAT  OF  ARMS     .....  196 

"  THE  FLATTS  " 199 

DRAWING-ROOM  AT  "THE  FLATTS"    .         .         .  211 

SCHUYLER  MANSION,  1760 217 

MAJOR-GENERAL  PHILIP  SCHUYLER      .         .         .  222 

From  a  painting  by  Col.   Trumbull. 

CARROLL  COAT  OF  ARMS       .....  225 
HALL  AT  DOUGHOREGAN  MANOR         .         .         .231 

DRAWING-ROOM   AT   DOUGHOREGAN  MANOR         .  247 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF   HOMKWOOD        .         .         .  259 

From  original  painting  by  Rembrandt  Pcale. 

CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON,  1737-1832  .  268 


Illustrations  ix 

PAGE 

EX-GOVERNOR  JOHN   LEE  CARROLL      .         .         .  276 

INTERIOR  OF  CHAPEL  OF  DOUGHOREGAN  MANOR  281 

RIDGELY  CREST       .         .                  ....  288 

HENRY  MOORE  RIDGELY        .....  293 

WILLIAM  PENN'S  CHAIR  AND  CORNER  OF  LIBRARY 

IN  RIDGELY  HOUSE         .                  ...  296 

TABLE  OWNED  BY  CAPTAIN  JONES,  1800,  IN  BED 
ROOM  OF  RIDGELY   HOUSE      .         .                  .  301 
"  THE  GREEN,"  IN   DOVER     ...                  .  309 

ELIZABETH      RIDGELY    (DAUGHTER    OF     JUDGE 

HENRY  MOORE  RIDGELY),  AGED   19      .         .  317 
REAR  VIEW  OF  RIDGELY  HOUSE   FROM  GARDEN. 

(BUILT,   1728.)          .                                             .  323 

WOODBURN,  DOVER,  DELAWARE     .                  .         .  329 

MARY  VINING                                             .         .         .  335 

From  old  Miniature. 

RIDGELY  FAMILY  SILVER       .         .         .         .         .  341 

FAC-SIMILE  SIGNATURE  OF  CAESAR  RODNEY         .  345 

COOK-PETERSON  COAT  OF  ARMS    ....  348 

FRONT  VIEW  OF  BELMONT  HALL          .         .  351 

VISTA  FROM  PORCH  OF  BELMONT    HALL      .         .  355 

DRAWING-ROOM  IN  BELMONT  HALL     .         .         .  365 

STAIRCASE  OF  BELMONT   HALL      .         .         .         .  371 
MRS.  ANNE  DENNY.     (TAKEN  AT  THE  AGE  OF  101. 

BORN   1778,  DIED  1882.)          ....  377 
PARLOUR  OF   WENT  WORTH    MANSION,  IN  WHICH 
GOVERNOR  BENNING  WENTWORTH  WAS  MAR 
RIED  TO  MARTHA   HILTON     .                            .  383 
GOVERNOR  BENNING  WENTWORTH                           .  387 
LANGDON  COAT  OF  ARMS      .         .                           .  390 
JOHN  WENTWORTH,  LAST  ROYAL    GOVERNOR  OF 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE       ...                           .  395 


x  Illustrations 

PAGE 

WENTWORTH  HALL,  LITTLE  HARBOUR.     (As  IT  is 

Now.)       .  .  .     399. 

OLD  MANTEL  IN  THE  COUNCIL  CHAMBER  OF  WENT 
WORTH  HALL  .  ...     403 

GOVERNOR  JOHN  LANGDON  .  ...     415 

From  a  painting  by  Gilbert  Stuart 

THE  GOVERNOR  LANGDON  MANSION  .  .  .  423 
SHERBURNE  COAT  OF  ARMS  .....  427 
WOODBURY  LANGDON,  1775.  ....  429 

From  a  painting  by  John  Singleton  Copley 

WINDOW  TO  EDMUND  AND  CATHERINE  LANGDON 

ROBERTS  IN  ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH  .         .         .     433 
MRS.  WOODBURY   LANGDON   .....     437 
From  a  painting  by  John  Singleton  Copley. 


MORE  COLONIAL   HOMESTEADS 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 
and  Their  Stories 


JOHNSON  HALL,  JOHNSTOWN,  NEW  YORK 

SOME  one  of  the  many  delvers  in  the  strata 
of  colonial  history  may  beguile  the  ted 
ium  of  statistical  labours  by  computing  what 
proportion  of  well-born  pioneers  were  driven 
across  the  sea  by  unfortunate  love  affairs. 
The  result  would  show  that  a  Cupid-m-tears, 
or  a  spray  of  Love-lies-bleeding,  might  be  in 
corporated  with  the  arms  of  several  of  our 
proudest  commonwealths. 

In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1/38,  William  John 
son,  eldest  son  of  Christopher  Johnson,  Esq., 
of  Warrenton,  County  Down,  Ireland,  settled 
in  the  Mohawk  Valley.  His  was  an  excel- 


2  More  Colonial  Homesteads 

lent  and  ancient  family.  Sir  Peter  Warren, 
well  known  to  readers  of  English  naval  history, 
was  his  maternal  uncle.  Another  uncle,  Ol 
iver  Warren,  was  a  captain  in  the  Royal  Navy 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  and  George  I. 
Sir  Peter  Warren  owned  an  extensive  tract 
of  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Mohawk  River 
and  a  handsome  residence  in  New  York  City. 
In  the  latter  he  lived  for  a  dozen  years  or 
more  after  his  marriage  with  a  daughter  of 
James  De  Lancey,  at  one  time  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  New  York,  and  prominent  in  the 
annals  of  the  troublous  times  immediately  pre 
ceding  the  American  Revolution. 

The  dwelling  built  and  occupied  by  Sir 
Peter,  known  in  our  day  as  No.  i  Broadway, 
and  used  for  long  as  the  Washington  Hotel, 
was  made  an  object  of  interest  to  succeeding 
generations  by  the  circumstance  that  General 
Sir  William  Howe  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
used  It  as  headquarters  during  the  earlier 
years  of  the  war.  Here  were  held  the  confer 
ences  between  Sir  Henry  and  his  young  aide, 
Major  Andre,  in  which  were  arranged  the 
details  of  Andre's  mission  to  Arnold.  Under 
the  venerable  roof  he  passed  the  last  peaceful 
night  he  was  to  know  on  earth,  setting  out  on 


Johnson  Hall  3 

the  morrow  for  his  fatal    expedition   up  the 
river. 

Sir  Peter  Warren's  nephew,  William  John 
son,  although  but  twenty-three  years  of  age 
upon  his  arrival  in  the  New  World,  had  been 
desperately  in  love  with  a  fair  one  in  his  na 
tive  land,  suffering  such  grievous  torments 
from  the  cruelty  of  his  enslaver  that  he  for 
swore  her,  his  home,  and  his  country,  and 
fled  into  permanent  exile.  The  distemper  had 
abated  somewhat,  or  was  a  thing  apart  from 
the  workings  of  an  uncommonly  cool  and  sa 
gacious  brain,  by  the  time  he  closed  with  his 
uncle's  offer  to  become  his  agent  in  the  man 
agement  of  his  Mohawk  estate.  He  landed 
in  New  York  in  the  spring  of  1738.  In  the 
autumn  he  was  in  the  full  tide  of  farm-work, 
timbering,  and  country-storekeeping.  An  ad 
vance  of  .£200  per  annum  was  to  be  made  by 
the  wealthy  Baronet  to  his  young  partner  for 
the  first  three  years,  and  paid  off  afterward 
in  installments.  Money,  and  whatever  was 
needed  to  keep  up  the  stock  in  the  "  store,"  were 
sent  up  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  from  New 
York.  This  city  was  the  quarter-deck  from 
which  Sir  Peter  issued  his  commands  to  his. 
able  first  mate. 


4          More  Colonial  Homesteads 

In  1742,  there  was  much  talk  between  the 
two  of  skins  purchased  and  shipped  down  the 
river,  and  Sir  Peter  reiterates  an  admonition 
that  the  orchard  be  not  neglected,  and  that 
"  fruit-trees  of  the  best  kinds  "  be  set  out  re 
gardless  of  expense.  His  far-reaching  policy 
included  the  blossoming  of  the  wilderness  and 
a  just  return  to  it,  although  not  in  kind,  of 
the  wealth  the  kinsmen  were  drawing  from  it. 
Young  Johnson,  at  this  date,  "roughed  it"  as 
if  he  had  been  a  peasant  immigrant,  with  no 
rich  uncle  within  call.  He  took  his  grain  to 
mill  on  horseback,  riding  upon  the  sacks  fif 
teen  miles  to  Caughnawaga,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  bringing  back  bags  of  corn- 
meal  and  flour  for  store,  camp,  and  farm 
hands.  In  these  expeditions  he  had  cast  his 
eye  upon  an  eligible  site  for  a  saw-mill,  also 
across  the  river,  and  bought  it  on  his  own  re 
sponsibility  and  with  his  own  money.  He  had 
no  intention  of  building  a  dwelling-house  upon 
it, — or  so  he  assured  his  chief,  who,  apparently, 
had  heard  a  rumour  to  that  effect.  Yet  we  find 
Johnson,  in  1743,  clearing  ground  in  the  neigh 
bourhood  of  the  saw-mill  for  a  spacious  house, 
and  hauling  to  the  eligible  site  so  many  loads 
of  stone,  timber,  and  pearlash  as  to  whet  the 


Johnson  Hall  5 

curiosity  of  his  white  neighbours  into  the  live 
liest  wonder  and  admiration. 

He  had  done  well  for  himself  in  the  five 
years  which  had  elapsed  since  he  turned  his 
back  upon  his  disdainful  Dulcinea  and  the 
green  shores  of  Erin.  Sir  Peter  Warren's 
estate  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Iroquois  and 
Mohawk  tribes,  then,  and  for  many  years 
thereafter,  the  friends  in  peace,  and  the  allies 
in  war,  of  the  English.  What  Captain  John 
Smith  had  hoped  to  do  and  to  become  in  Vir 
ginia, — failing  by  reason  of  the  envy  of  his  col 
leagues,  the  distrust  of  the  London  Company, 
under  whose  orders  he  was,  and,  finally,  through 
the  accident  that  crippled  and  sent  him  back 
to  England, — William  Johnson  did  and  be 
came  in  the  more  northern  province.  Irish 
wit,  the  light  heart,  quickness,  and  facility  of 
adaptation  to  environment  and  associates  char 
acteristic  of  his  countrymen  of  the  better  sort, 
were  equipments  he  brought  into  the  wilder 
ness  with  him.  He  joined  to  these  an  un 
bending  will,  resolute  ambition,  and  personal 
bravery  that  would  have  made  him  a  leader  of 
men  anywhere.  There  were  more  Dutch  than 
English  settlers  in  the  valley.  In  a  year's 
time  he  learned  enough  of  their  speech  to 


6  More  Colonial  Homesteads 

bandy  jokes  with  them  over  mugs  of  strong 
ale  and  tobacco-pipes,  and  to  outwit  them  in 
trading.  Within  two  years  he  could  act  as  inter 
preter  for  Dutch  boers  and  English  landhold 
ers  with  the  Indians,  and  in  these  negotiations 
held  the  balance  of  justice  with  so  firm  a  hand 
that  the  most  wary  sachems  were  imbued  with 
belief  in  his  integrity.  Here  was  one  pale 
face  who  would  neither  cheat  them  himself, 
nor  allow  others  to  cheat  them.  He  improved 
the  advantage  thus  gained  so  cleverly  that  be 
fore  the  first  rows  of  foundation-stones  were 
laid  for  Johnson  Hall  in  1744,  the  owner  and 
builder  had  more  influence  with  the  tribes  than 
any  other  white  man  within  an  area  of  five 
hundred  miles.  In  the  winter's  hunting-parties 
for  moose  and  wolves  ;  in  trapping  for  otter 
and  beaver ;  about  the  council  fires ;  in  the 
wild  orgies  and  barbaric  feasts  followed  by 
shooting-matches,  races,  and  dances,  in  which 
picked  young  men  of  the  tribes  were  compet 
itors, — Johnson  was  not  a  whit  behind  the 
most  notable  of  hunters  and  warriors.  He 
was  with,  and  of,  them.  He  might  outbar 
gain  Dutch,  Germans,  and  English.  With 
the  Indians  he  was  upright  and  generous  to  a 
proverb,  liked  and  trusted  by  all.  His  was  no 


Johnson  Hall  7 

ephemeral  popularity.  Thirty  years  after 
ward,  the  eulogium  spoken  by  a  Mohawk  sa 
chem  above  the  wampum -bound  grave  of 
the  friend  of  his  race — the  adopted  brother  of 
his  tribe  —  condensed  the  experience  of  all 
these  years  into  one  mournful  sentence  : 
"  Sir  William  Johnson  never  deceived  us." 
As  the  immediate  fruit  of  his  policy,  or  prin 
ciples,  his  was  the  first  choice  of  the  pelts 
brought  into  the  European  settlement  by  the 
Indians.  Had  he  wished  to  purchase  all,  he 
could  have  secured  a  monopoly  of  whatever 
was  available  to  the  white  traders.  He  vir 
tually  controlled  the  fish  market  of  the  regions 
skirting  the  river,  and  had  his  pick  of  such 
redskins  as  could  be  induced  to  work  in  the 
fields  in  summer,  and  at  logging  in  winter. 
While  he  lived  in  a  log-cabin,  larger,  but 
hardly  more  comfortable  than  a  wigwam,  any 
Iroquois  or  Mohawk  was  welcome  to  a  bounti 
ful  share  of  venison,  or  bear-meat,  hominy,  and 
whiskey.  The  host  ate  with  him  and  they 
smoked  together  afterward,  over  the  coals  or 
out-of-doors,  discussing  tribal  politics,  or  the 
growing  encroachments  of  the  guest's  hered 
itary  enemies,  the  Cherokees  and  Choctaws, 
upon  the  Iroquois  hunting-grounds  to  the 


8          More  Colonial  Homesteads 

south  of  the  Valley.  When  they  were  sleepy, 
both  men  rolled  themselves  up  in  their  blank 
ets  on  the  floor,  or  stretched  themselves 
upon  pallets  of  fox-  and  bearskin.  Disputes 
among  the  aborigines  were  referred  to  the 
wise  and  friendly  white  man,  and  no  enterprise 
of  note  was  undertaken  without  consultation 
with  him. 

When  growing  wealth  and  a  growing  family 
led  him  to  build,  besides  Johnson  Hall,  a  less 
ambitious  dwelling,  called  Johnson  Castle, 
some  miles  farther  up  the  river,  the  savage 
horde  was  still  free  to  come  and  go  as  will,  or 
convenience,  impelled  them.  Parkman  says 
that  Johnson  Hall  was  "  surrounded  by  cabins 
built  for  the  reception  of  the  Indians,  who  often 
came  in  crowds  to  visit  the  proprietor,  invading 
his  dwelling  at  all  unseasonable  hours,  loiter 
ing  in  the  doorways,  spreading  their  blankets 
in  the  passages,  and  infecting  the  air  with  the 
fumes  of  stale  tobacco." 

What  manner  of  housewife  and  woman  was 
she  who  could  submit  with  any  show  of  patience 
to  the  lawless  intrusion  of  uncouth  savages, 
and  the  attendant  nuisances  of  vermin,  filth, 
and  evil  odours  ? 

"  Begging  for  a  drink  of  raw  rum,  and  giving 


Johnson  Hall  9 

forth  a  strong  smell,  like  that  of  a  tame  bear, 
as  he  toasted  himself  by  the  fire," — thus  one 
writer  describes  a  specimen  visitor. 

To  be  consistent  with  his  adoption  of  Indian 
manners  and  usages,  and  to  cement  his  authority 
with  his  allies,  the  astute  trader-planter  should 
have  wedded  some  savage  maiden  and  filled  his 
lodge  with  a  dusky  race.  At  a  later  day  the 
policy  commended  by  France's  king,  urged  by 
him  upon  France's  colonists  in  America,  and 
approved  by  them  in  theory  and  practice, 
seemed  right  and  cunning  in  William  Johnson's 
sight,  as  we  shall  see. 

In  religion,  as  in  morals,  he  was  catholic 
and  eclectic,  and  a  law  unto  himself.  The 
fascinated  student  of  his  biography  cannot 
resist  the  conviction  that,  within  the  stalwart 
body  of  this  educated  backwoodsman,  lived 
two  natures  as  diverse  and  distinct,  the  one 
from  the  other,  as  the  fabled  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr. 
Hyde.  There  were  Dutch  and  German  Re 
formed  churches  up  and  down  the  river — one 
of  which,  "  Stone  Arabia,"  retains  name  and 
place  unto  this  day.  Each  had  its  attend 
ance  of  devout  communicants,  men  and  women 
who  lived  godly  and  virtuous  married  lives  in 
lonely  cabins  and  sparse  settlements  in  the 


TO         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

clearings  they  had  made  in  the  primeval  forest. 
William  Johnson  was  on  neighbourly  terms 
with  them  all,  doing  many  a  kind  and  liberal 
turn  for  them,  as  occasion  offered  ;  subscribing 
money  to  build  houses  of  worship,  giving 
voluntarily  fifty  acres  for  a  glebe  farm  upon 
condition  that  a  parsonage  should  be  built  for 
the  Lutheran  minister,  and,  the  next  week, 
making  a  like  gift  to  the  Calvinistic  congrega 
tion  with  a  similar  proviso.  While  calling  him 
self  an  Episcopalian,  he  entertained  British 
priests  travelling  from  log-house  to  camp,  in 
ministry  upon  the  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness 
that  owned  allegiance  to  the  Parent  Church. 
He  enjoyed  conversation  with  the  reverend 
fathers  ;  he  fed  them  with  the  fat  of  lambs  and  of 
beeves,  cheered  them  with  his  best  liquors, 
and  pressed  them,  with  friendly  violence,  to 
tarry  for  days  and  nights  in  an  abode  that 
reeked  with  the  fumes  of  raw  rum,  stale  tobacco, 
and  the  exhalations  of  unwashed  savages. 
While  he  had  not  had  the  university  training 
most  young  men  of  his  birth  and  class  enjoyed 
in  Great  Britain,  his  education  was  far  more 
thorough  than  is  generally  supposed  by  those 
familiar  with  his  manner  of  living,  and  the 
outlines  of  his  career.  He  received  and  read 


Johnson  Hall  n 

letters  written  in  French  and  Latin,  and  made 
descriptive  endorsements  of  the  contents  upon 
them  in  the  same  languages. 

When  he  cast  an  eye  of  favour  upon  a  buxom 
German  lass,  Catherine  Wissenberg  by  name, 
the  daughter  of  a  fellow  immigrant,  he  made  his 
courtship  brief.  Whether  his  comely  presence, 
his  reputed  wealth,  and  his  nimble  wits  and 
tongue  won  the  damsel's  consent,  or  whether, 
as  was  hinted,  the  negotiation  was  purely  com 
mercial,  and  her  father  profited  by  the  result, 
we  do  not  know.  It  is  certain  that  Catherine 
Wissenberg  became  the  mistress  of  the  stately 
new  mansion  on  the  river-slope  and  sharer  of 
the  master's  fortunes. 

Parkman,  in  his  delightful  history  of  The 
Conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  says  that  she  was  a 
Dutch  girl  whom,  in  justice  to  his  children, 
Johnson  married  upon  her  death-bed.  Stone's 
•carefully  prepared  Life  and  Times  of  Sir  Wil 
liam  Johnson  strips  the  alliance  of  the  pictur 
esque  element  by  asserting  that  the  marriage 
was  in  good  and  regular  form  and  date,  and 
thus  recorded  in  the  Johnson  Bible.  The  in 
troduction  of  this  same  family  Bible  lends 
verity  to  the  latter  story,  and  a  smack  of  de 
mure  respectability  to  this  important  episode 


12         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  the  singular  life  that  entitles  it  to  a  place  on? 
the  Dr.  Jekyll  side  of  the  page. 

In  birth  and  social  position  Mrs.  Johnson  was- 
her  husband's  inferior,  and,  it  goes  without 
saying,  in  education  also.  She  was  gentle  of 
temper,  had  plenty  of  good  common  sense,  and 
was  sincerely  attached  to  her  handsome  spouse. 
Three  children  were  the  fruit  of  the  marriage  : 
John  (afterward  Sir  John),  Mary,  who,  in  due 
time,  married  Guy  Johnson,  her  cousin  and  the 
son  of  another  pioneer,  and  Ann,  or  Nancy, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Daniel  Claus 
— a  name  that  declares  his  Dutch  extraction. 

Mrs.  Johnson  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  the 
dignities  of  the  first  lady  in  the  Valley.  She 
died  early  in  the  year  1745.  In  his  will,  made 
almost  a  quarter-century  after  the  beginning  of 
his  widowerhood,  Johnson  refers  to  her  as  his 
"  beloved  wife  Catherine,"  and  directs  that  his 
remains  shall  be  laid  beside  hers.  In  view  of 
the  relations  which  succeeded  marital  respect 
ability,  we  are  inclined  to  consider  this  section 
of  his  testament  as  a  Jekyllish  figure  of  speech, 
although  the  tribute  to  the  amiable  and  dutiful 
matron  may  have  been  sincere. 

The  threatening  aspect  of  the  times  in  which 
he  lived  would  have  distracted  his  thoughts. 


Johnson  Hall  13 

from  honest  and  deep  mourning.  The  political 
heavens  were  black  with  portents  of  storm.  To 
quote  Parkman : 

"  With  few  and  slight  exceptions,  the  numerous  tribes 
of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi,  besides  a  host  of 
domiciliated  savages  in  Canada  itself,  stood  ready,  at 
the  bidding  of  the  French,  to  grind  their  tomahawks  and 
turn  loose  their  ravenous  war-parties  ;  while  the  British 
colonists  had  too  much  reason  to  fear  that  now  those 
tribes  which  seemed  most  friendly  to  their  cause,  and 
which  formed  the  sole  barrier  of  their  unprotected  bord 
ers,  might,  at  the  first  sound  of  the  war-whoop,  be  found 
in  arms  against  them." 

Even  the  Mohawks  and  Iroquois  living  on  the 
•confines  of  Canada  were  gradually  won  over 
by  the  wily  French,  assisted  by  the  powerful 
influence  of  the  priesthood. 

Johnson,  up  to  this  time,  had  taken  little 
active  part  in  the  administration  of  public 
.affairs.  He  was  too  busy  shipping  furs  to 
London,  and  flour  to  Halifax  and  the  West 
Indies,  farming  and  clearing  and  lumbering, 
embellishing  the  extensive  grounds  of  Johnson 
Hall  with  English  shrubbery,  setting,  in  the 
broad  front  of  the  mansion,  the  costly  windows 
with  "  diapered  panes,"  made  in,  and  imported 
from,  France  expressly  for  him,  and  other 
wise  forwarding  the  interests  of  a  fast-rising 


H         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

man  in  a  new  country, — to  mix  himself  up  with 
matters  which  he  thought  would  right  them 
selves  without  his  interference.  He  would 
seem  to  have  had  his  first  definite  indication 
that  he  might  have  a  serious  and  imminent  in 
terest  in  the  popular  tumults,  in  the  autumn 
after  Mrs.  Johnson's  decease.  An  intimate 
friend,  a  resident  of  Albany,  wrote  to  him 
from  that  place,  entreating  that  he  would  not 
think  of  passing  the  winter  at  Johnson  Hall, 
or,  as  it  was  otherwise  called,  "  Fort  Johnson." 

"The  French  have  told  our  Indians  that 
they  will  have  you,  dead  or  alive,  because  you 
are  a  relation  of  Captain  Warren,  their  great 
adversary,"  was  the  reason  given  for  the 
friendly  warning. 

The  writer  went  on  to  represent  that  there 
was  room  in  his  own  home  for  his  menaced 
friend,  and  as  many  of  his  servants  as  he  cared 
to  bring.  As  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
motherless  children,  the  presumption  is  that 
they  were  already  in  Albany,  or  some  other 
safer  asylum  than  their  father's  house.  John 
son  declined  the  urgent  invitation  and  fortified 
the  Hall  with  what  our  historian  styles  the 
barriers  of  the  English  frontier.  He  knew  his 
Indians,  and  they  believed  in  him.  Through- 


Johnson  Hall  17 

out  the  winter  they  lurked  and  loitered  about, 
and  in,  the  house  on  the  hill,  apparently  as 
lazy  and  dull  as  hibernating  bears — in  reality 
alert  in  every  sense  for  the  protection  of  their 
patron. 

In  the  spring  his  scouts  corroborated  the 
news  from  Albany  that  the  French  at  Crown 
Point  meditated  an  attack  upon  the  nearest 
English  settlements.  He  had  his  material 
ready  when  the  request  came  from  army  head 
quarters  that  "  a  few  Mohawks  whom  he  knew 
to  be  trusty  "  might  be  sent  to  reconnoitre  the 
Valley.  Sixteen  picked  men  were  despatched 
upon  this  errand.  Their  report  of  the  extent 
of  hostile  preparations  aroused  Johnson  to  the 
consciousness  that  his  living  "  barrier"  might 
be  insufficient  to  protect  his  property  from 
destruction,  however  well  they  might  play  the 
watch-dog  for  his  person.  He  wrote  to  Al 
bany,  asking  that  a  small  force  of  regular 
soldiery  be  sent  to  Johnson  Hall.  Among 
other  valuables  that  might  tempt  the  enemy, 
he  specified  eleven  thousand  bushels  of  wheat 
ready  for  the  mill.  The  white  settlers  all 
about  him  were  fleeing  for  their  lives  into 
forts  and  fortified  towns.  A  troop  of  thirty 
"  regulars"  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  and, 


1 8         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

reinforced  by  a  considerable  body  of  militia, 
composed  the  garrison  of  Johnson  Hall,  biv 
ouacking  in  lawn  and  gardens,  and  feasting 
at  the  master's  expense. 

Partly  to  show  his  unabated  confidence  in 
the  loyalty  of  his  Indian  allies,  somewhat  in 
commoded  now  by  the  influx  of  white  warriors, 
partly  to  strengthen  and  establish  his  influence 
with  them,  he  offered  himself  for  adoption  into 
the  Mohawk  tribe.  A  great  council  of  sachems 
and  braves  was  convened,  and  with  formalities 
many,  speeches  innumerable,  and  a  confusing 
passing  back  and  forth  of  wampum  belts  as 
tangible  punctuation  points  and  italic  dashes, 
he  was  made  a  Mohawk,  inside  and  out,  and 
proclaimed  a  chieftain,  with  all  the  rights,  pow 
ers,  and  immunities  pertaining  to  the  rank. 
"  In  this  capacity,"  says  Stone,  "  he  assembled 
them  at  festivals  and  appointed  frequent  war- 
dances,  by  way  of  exciting  them  to  engage 
actively  in  the  war."  He  wore  blanket,  moc 
casins,  and  feathered  head-gear, — a  garb  that 
became  him  rarely, — spoke  their  dialect,  and 
deported  himself  in  all  things  as  if  born  to  the 
honours  conferred  upon  him  by  his  "  brothers." 
Many  of  the  chiefs  were  persuaded  by  him  to 
accept  the  Governor's  invitation  to  visit  him  at 


Johnson  Hall  19 

Albany  for  consideration  of  the  best  means  of 
ensuring  the  safety  of  the  colony.  The  younger 
braves  were  wrought  upon  by  argument  and 
flattery  to  pledge  themselves  to  support  the 
English  cause  in  the  event  of  active  hostilities 
between  the  English  and  French.  All  but 
three  of  the  Mohawk  and  Iroquois  sachems 
were,  by  these  means,  committed  to  the  side 
represented  to  them  by  their  newly  made  chief. 

In  1746,  Johnson  was  made  contractor  for 
the  trading-post  of  Oswego,  trammelled  in  pur 
chase  and  sale  only  by  the  stipulation  that  "  no 
higher  charges  be  made  in  time  of  war  than  it 
had  been  usual  to  pay  in  time  of  peace." 

He  had,  that  same  year,  a  welcome  visitor 
in  the  person  of  his  brother,  Captain  Warren 
Johnson,  of  the  Royal  Army.  He  brought 
from  Governor  Clinton  a  letter  addressed  to 
"  Colonel  William  Johnson,"  enjoining  him 
to  "  keep  up  the  Indians  to  their  promises  of 
keeping  out  scouts  to  watch  the  motions  of 
the  French,"  and  concluding  with  the  pleas 
ant  intimation,  "  I  have  recommended  you  to 
his  Majesty's  favour  through  the  Duke  of 
Newcastle." 

Neither  the  Governor's  favour  nor  the  pro 
mise  of  royal  patronage  put  money  into  the  new 


20         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Colonel's  purse.  He  told  the  Governor  plainly, 
in  1747,  that  he  was  "like  to  be  ruined  for 
want  of  blankets,  linen,  paints,  guns,  cutlasses, 
etc., ".which  were  not  to  be  had  in  Albany, — all, 
as  will  be  seen,  commodities  for  his  copper- 
coloured  allies.  The  date  of  the  letter  is 
March  i8th,  and  a  touch  of  Irish  humour 
flashes  out  in  the  closing  paragraph  : 

"  We  kept  St.  Patrick's  Day  yesterday,  and 
this  day,  and  drank  your  health,  and  that  of 
all  friends  in  Albany,  with  so  many  other 
healths  that  I  can  scarce  write." 

In  May  he  renders  a  curious  and  blood-curd 
ling  report  of  prisoners  and  scalps,  brought 
to  Johnson  Hall  by  a  party  under  command 
of  Walter  Butler,  a  name  destined  to  become 
notorious  in  Revolutionary  annals.  Butler 
was  a  mere  youth  at  this  date,  and,  as  we  can 
but  see,  taking  a  novitiate  in  methods  of  war 
fare  which  stamped  the  family  with  infamy 
when  the  loyal  subject  of  King  George  be 
came,  with  no  change  of  principle  or  practice, 
the  bloodthirsty  Tory.  He  had  been  skirmish 
ing  in  the  vicinity  of  Crown  Point,  at  the  head 
of  a  mixed  band  of  whites  and  Indians,  and 
brought  back  his  prizes  to  the  Colonel  and 
chief. 


Johnson  Hall  21 

"  I  am  quite  pestered  every  day,"  writes 
Johnson  to  Clinton,  "with  parties  returning 
with  prisoners  and  scalps,  and  without  a  penny 
to  buy  them  with,  it  comes  very  hard  upon  me, 
and  displeasing  to  them." 

One  speculates,  in  standing  in  the  central 
hall  of  the  ancient  house,  in  what  array  the 
scalps  were  hung  against  the  walls,  and  if 
the  master  carried  his  conformity  to  Indian 
customs  to  the  length  of  wearing  a  fringe  of 
them  at  his  girdle.  "  Pestered  "  is  a  darkly 
significant  word  in  this  connection  and  one 

o 

which  Mr.  Hyde  would  have  snarled  out  in 
like  circumstances.  The  rest  of  the  letter  is 
in  the  same  vein.  There  is  a  requisition  for 
"  blue  camlet,  red  shalloon,  good  lace,  and 
white  metal  buttons,  to  make  up  a  parcel  of 
coats  for  Seneca  chiefs."  Also  "  thirty  good 
castor  hats,  with  scallop  lace  for  them  all,— 
white  lace,  if  to  be  had,  if  not,  some  yellow 
with  it.  This,  I  assure  your  Excellency,  goes 
a  great  way  with  them." 

As  he  is  finishing  the  letter,  "another  party 
of  mine,  consisting  of  only  six  Mohawks,"  rend 
ers  a  tale  of  seven  prisoners  and  three  scalps, 
—"which  is  very  good  for  so  small  a  party." 

The  cool  complacency  of  the  comment,  and 


22         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  calm  and  certain  conviction  that  his  news 
will  not  displease  his  Excellency ,  belong  to 
that  day  and  generation.  Let  us  thank  God 
they  are  not  ours  ! 

His  house  was  "  full  of  the  Five  Nations" 
as  he  penned  this  despatch  to  his  superior. 
"  Some  are  going  out  to-morrow  against  the 
French.  Others  go  for  news  which,  when 
furnished,  I  shall  let  your  Excellency  know." 

The  tenor  of  each  communication  shows 
that  his  fighting-blood  was  in  full  flow,  and 
that  his  ways  and  means  were  dictated  by  the 
aroused  savage  within  him.  Clinton  had  given 
him  his  head  in  a  letter  written  in  April. 

"  The  council  did  not  think  it  proper  to  put 
rewards  for  scalping  or  taking  poor  women  or 
children  prisoners,  in  the  bill  I  am  going  to 
pass,"  is  a  crafty  phrase  of  the  official  docu 
ment.  "  But  the  Assembly  has  assured  me 
the  money  shall  be  paid  when  it  so  happens, 
if  the  Indians  insist  upon  it." 

In  his  turn,  Governor  Clinton  assured  his 
complaisant  Assembly  that, 

"  whereas  it  had  formerly  been  difficult  to  obtain  a 
dozen  or  twenty  scouts,  Col.  Johnson  engaged  to  bring 
a  thousand  warriors  into  the  field  upon  any  reason 
able  notice.  Through  his  influence  the  chiefs  have  been 


Johnson  Hall  23 

weaned  from  their  intimacy  with  the  French,  and  many 
distant  Indian  nations  are  now  courting  the  friendship  of 
the  English." 

In  the    month  of  February,    1748,  Colonel 
Johnson  was  put  in  command  of  the  Colonial 
forces   under 
arms   for   the 
defence  of  the 
English    fron 
tiers. 

At  one  of  the 
regimental  mil 
itia  musters,— 
called  by  our 
forefathers 
''training  days," 
— reviewed  by 
the  Colonel  in 
command,  h  i  s 

i  COLONEL  JOHNSON. 

attention    and 

that  of  the  officers  grouped  with  him  wan 
dered  from  the  business  of  the  day  to  a 
"  side-show,"  as  diverting  as  it  was  unex 
pected.  Hundreds  of  spectators  stood  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  training-ground,  a  large  pro 
portion  being  women  and  children.  Conspicu 
ous  among  the  squaws  in  the  inner  circle  was 


24         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Mary,  otherwise  Molly,  Brant,  a  young  half- 
breed,  the  dashing  belle  of  her  dark-skinned 
coterie,  and  known  by  sight  to  most  of  the 
white  officers.  Her  step-father,  in  whose 
family  she  was  brought  up,  figures  in  Colonel 
Johnson's  letters  as  "  Nickus  Brant,"  "  Old 
Brant,"  and  "  Brant  of  Canajoharie."  John 
son's  home,  when  in  Canajoharie,  was  *'  at 
Brant's  house,"  and  the  more  than  amicable 
relations  between  the  two  men  were  manifested 
in  many  ways.  In  1758,  Johnson  records,  in 
his  Diary,  the  presentation  by  himself  of  a 
string  of  wampum  to  Brant  and  Paulus,  two 
important  sachems  of  the  Mohawks. 

Nobody  assumed  that  Old  Nickus  was  the 
father  of  Molly  and  her  brother  Joseph.  They 
took,  for  common  use,  the  name  of  their 
mother's  husband,  Barnet,  or  Bernard,  cor 
rupted  by  common  usage  to  Brant.  The 
mother  was  a  Mohawk  squaw.  Her  girl  and  boy 
were  half-breeds.  When  J  oseph  became  a  war- 
rier  of  renown  under  the  title  of  Thayendane 
gea  ("  Two-sticks-of-wood-bound-together," — a 
symbol  of  strength),  an  effort  was  made  by 
his  tribe  to  prove  him  a  full-blooded  Indian, 
and  his  father  to  have  been  a  sachem  of  the 
Mohawks.  It  is  but  fair  to  state  that  Joseph 


Johnson  Hall  25 

Brant,  while  signing  both  Indian  and  English 
names  to  letters  and  treaties,  does  not  seem  to 
have  attempted  to  support  this  claim.  If  his 
mother  confided  to  him  the  secret  of  his  parent 
age,  he  kept  it  for  her,  and  for  himself.  Jared 
Sparks — than  whom  we  have  no  better  author 
ity  upon  Revolutionary  history — believed  the 
younger  of  the  half-breed  children,  Joseph,  to 
have  been  William  Johnson's  son.  Other  annal 
ists  of  less  note  held  the  same  opinion.  The 
hypothesis  draws  colour  and  plausibility  from 
Johnson's  marked  partiality  for  the  lad.  Al 
though  but  thirteen  years  old  when  the  battle 
of  Lake  George  was  fought  (i  755),  he  followed 
Colonel  Johnson  to  the  field,  and  had  there  his 
"  baptism  of  fire," — in  ruder  English,  his  first 
taste  of  blood.  He  was  educated  at  Johnson's 
expense  in  Moor  Charity  School,  afterward 
Dartmouth  College.  A  fellow  student  was  his 
young  nephew,  William  Johnson,  the  son  of 
Colonel  Johnson  and  Molly  Brant.  Brant's 
after-life  belongs  to  a  later  period  of  our 
story. 

Return  we  to  the  handsome  Indian  girl, 
laughing  in  the  front  rank  of  the  spectators  of 
the  parade,  brave  in  bright  blanket  and  flutter 
ing  ribbons,  and  shooting  smart  sallies  from  a 


26         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ready  tongue  at  such  soldiers  as  accosted  her 
in  passing.  A  mounted  officer  presently  rode 
up  closer  to  the  lookers-on  than  any  private 
had  dared  to  venture,  and  leaned  from  his 
saddle-bow  to  speak  to  her.  His  horse  was  a 
fine,  spirited  animal,  and  Molly  praised  him 
rapturously,  finally  begging  permission  to  ride 
him.  As  gaily  the  officer  bade  her  mount 
behind  him.  With  one  agile  spring,  the  girl 
was  upon  the  crupper,  and  clasped  the  rider's 
waist.  The  mettled  horse  reared,  then  dashed 
off  at  full  speed.  Round  and  round  the  parade- 
ground  they  flew,  the  astonished  officer  able 
to  do  nothing  except  keep  the  saddle  and  guide 
the  frantic  beast  into  the  line  of  the  impro 
vised  race-course.  The  blanket  had  dropped 
from  Molly's  shoulders  as  she  leaped  from 
the  ground  ;  her  black  hair  streamed  upon  the 
wind  ;  her  shining  eyes,  white  teeth,  and 
crimson  cheeks  transformed  the  swarthy  belle 
into  a  beauty.  Screams  of  laughter,  encourag 
ing  huzzas,  and  clapping  of  hands  followed  her 
flight.  When  the  discomfited  victim  of  the 
mad  escapade  at  last  regained  control  of  his 
horse  and  Molly  slipped  from  her  perch  as 
lightly  as  she  had  mounted,  the  first  person  to 
salute  and  congratulate  her  upon  her  grace  and 


Johnson  Hall  27 

'dexterity  was  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  the 
great  man  of  the  Valley,  and,  as  he  made  her 
and  the  lookers-on  to  understand,  hencefor 
ward  her  most  obedient  servant. 

No  time  was  lost  in  preliminaries.  Molly 
Brant  became,  without  benefit  of  clergy  or  re 
gard  to  the  prejudices  of  society,  the  "  tribal 
wife  "  of  the  adopted  Mohawk,  and  retained 
the  position  until  Johnson's  death.  Mrs. 
Grant,  in  her  interesting  work,  An  American 
Lady,  launders  the  liaison  into  conventional 
decency  and  polish  : 

"  Becoming  a  widower  in  the  prime  of  life, 
he  [Johnson]  connected  himself  with  an  In 
dian  maiden,  daughter  of  a  sachem,  who  pos 
sessed  an  uncommonly  agreeable  person  and 
good  understanding." 

Molly  and  her  tribe  undoubtedly  considered 
the  connection  as  valid  as  if  law  had  sealed 
and  gospel  blessed  it.  It  served  to  rivet  the 
already  strong  bonds  by  which  Johnson  held 
them  to  his  and  to  the  English  interests. 
While  he  lived,  no  word  or  deed  of  his  tended 
to  cast  disrespect  upon  the  woman  who  reigned 
over  his  mighty  establishment  of  negro  and 
Indian  servants,  German  and  Dutch  tenants. 

After  he  became  a  Baronet-General,  living 


28         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

in  a  style  befitting  his  rank  and  wealth,  Molly 
held  her  own  without  apparent  effort. 

"  Nothing  could  have  better  shown  how  powerful  Sir 
William  had  become,"  says  Harold  Frederic,1  "  and  how 
much  his  favour  was  to  be  courted,  than  the  fact  that 
ladies  of  quality  and  strict  propriety,  who  fancied  them 
selves  very  fine  folk  indeed, — the  De  Lanceys  and  Phil- 
lipses  and  the  like, — would  come  visiting  the  widower 
baronet  in  his  Hall,  and  close  their  eyes  to  the  presence 
there  of  Miss  Molly  and  her  half-breed  children.  Sir 
William's  neighbours,  indeed,  overlooked  this  from  their 
love  of  the  man,  and  their  reliance  in  his  sense  and 
strength.  But  the  others — the  aristocrats — held  their 
tongues  from  fear  of  his  wrath,  and  of  his  influence  in 
London. 

u  He  would  suffer  none  of  them  to  markedly  avoid  or 
affront  the  Brant  squaw,  whom,  indeed,  they  had  often 
to  meet  as  an  associate  and  an  equal." 

Staid  British  matrons  from  over  the  sea, 
copper-sheathed  in  the  proprieties  of  wedded 
virtue,  accepted  the  hospitalities  of  Johnson 
Hall  upon  like  terms.  Lady  Susan  O'Brian, 
daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Ilchester,  with  her 
husband,  was  entertained  for  several  days  by 
Sir  William  in  1765.  The  titled  dame  pro 
nounced  "  his  housekeeper,  a  well-bred  and 
pleasant  lady,"  perfectly  aware,  all  the  while,, 
what  were  her  relations  to  the  courtly  host,, 

1  In  the  Valley,  by  Harold  Frederic. 


Johnson  Hall  29 

and  whose  were  the  children  who  called  him 
"  father,"  and  had,  apparently,  equal  rights 
with  the  acknowledged  heir,  John  Johnson, 
and  his  sisters.  Lord  Adam  Gordon,  a  Scotch 
peer,  was  domesticated  at  the  Hall  for  a  much 
longer  time  than  the  O' Brians,  and  when  he 
sailed  for  England  took  John  with  him,  "  to  try 
to  wear  off  the  rusticity  of  a  country  educa 
tion,"  as  the  lad's  father  phrased  it. 

With  all  his  outward  show  of  affection  for 
his  black-browed  mistress,  and  the  tribute  of 
deference  he  exacted  for  her  from  high  and 
low,  the  other  self  of  this  dual-natured  poten 
tate  set  her  decidedly  aloof,  in  his  thoughts  and 
in  legal  documents,  from  the  station  a  lawful 
wife  would  have  taken  and  kept.  The  will, 
ordaining  that  he  should  be  buried  by  his  "  be 
loved  wife  Catherine,"  provides  for  mourning 
and  maintenance  for  "  my  housekeeper,  Mary 
Brant,"  and  scores  a  broad  line  of  demarcation 
'between  "  my  dearly  beloved  son,  Sir  John 
Johnson,"  and  "  Peter,  my  natural  son  by 
Mary  Brant."  Also,  between  his  daughters, 
Ann  Claus  and  Mary  Johnson,  and  the  child 
ren  of  "  said  housekeeper,  Mary  Brant." 
There  was  never  any  blending  or  confusion  of 
boundary  lines  between  the  two  personalities 


30         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

in  the  single  body.  European  and  Mohawk, 
aristocrat  and  savage, — each  was  sharply  drawn 
and  definite.  Neither  infringed  upon  the 
other's  rights,  and  the  unities  of  the  queer 
double-action  life-drama  were  never  violated. 

In  the  outer  world  the  signs  of  the  times 
were  ominous  enough.  That  the  Iroquois  re 
mained  proof  against  the  blandishments  of  the 
wily  French,  backed  by  the  threats  of  the  In 
dian  allies  of  France,  throughout  the  disturb 
ances  of  1747—49,  was  due  entirely  to  Johnson's 
influence.  "  Anyone  other  than  he  would 
have  failed,"  testifies  a  contemporary. 

"  On  one  day  he  is  found  ordering  from  London  lead 
for  the  roof  of  his  house  ;  despatching  a  load  of  goods 
to  Oswego  ;  bartering  with  the  Indians  for  furs,  and 
writing  to  Governor  Clinton  at  length  on  the  encroach 
ments  of  the  French,  doing  everything  with  neatness  and 
despatch.  At  the  same  time  he  superintended  the  mil 
itia,  attended  to  the  affairs  of  the  Six  Nations,  and,  as 
Ranger  of  the  woods  for  Albany  County,  kept  a  diligent 
watch  upon  those  who  were  disposed  to  cut  down  and 
carry  off  by  stealth  the  King's  timber." 

Envy  at  his  success,  joined  to  animosity 
against  Clinton,  moved  the  Assembly  at  Al 
bany  to  neglect  the  payment  of  the  Colony's 
debt  to  Johnson.  They  even  accused  him  of 
making  out  fraudulent  bills,  and  refused  to> 


Johnson  Hall  3r 

meet  his  demand  for  the  return  of  ^200  ad 
vanced  from  his  private  fortune  for  defence 
of  frontiers  and  treaties  with  the  Indians. 
Stung  to  the  quick  of  a  haughty  nature,  he 
resigned  his  position  as  Superintendent  of  In 
dian  Affairs,  at  the  same  time  sending  word  to 
the  tribes  that  his  interest  in  all  that  concerned 
them  would  remain  unabated.  His  resolution 
to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  public  busi 
ness  was  opposed  strenuously  by  the  Indians. 

"  One  half  of  Colonel  Johnson  belongs  to 
your  Excellency,  the  other  half  to  us,"  was 
the  wording  of  a  petition  sent  by  a  council  of 
braves  to  the  Governor.  "  We  all  lived  hap 
pily  while  we  were  under  his  management. 
We  love  him.  He  is,  and  has  always  been, 
our  good  and  trusty  friend." 

After  the  victory  of  Lake  George,  Colonel 
Johnson  was  created  a  Baronet  and  received  a 
vote  of  thanks  from  Parliament,  with  a  gift 
of  ^5000.  Johnstown  was  founded  by  him 
in  1760.  He  was  the  active  patron  of  an 
Indian  Mission  School  at  Stockbridge,  also 
of  one  established  in  Albany  in  1753,  and  was 
the  father  of  that  at  Lebanon  which  grew  into 
Dartmouth  College.  He  built  an  Episcopal 
church  at  Schenectady,  a  Masonic  lodge  at 


32         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Johnson  Hall,  and,  the  war  being  over,  had 
leisure  to  superintend  the  erection  of  two 
•stately  stone  houses  for  his  daughters,  his  gifts 
to  them,  together  with  640  acres  of  ground 
apiece. 

As  years  gathered  upon  him,  his  desire  in 
creased  to  educate  and  Christianise  the  race  to 
which  "  one  half  of  him  "  belonged  by  adoption. 
Upon  this  and  other  benevolent  schemes  he 
wrought  as  one  who  felt  that  the  time  for  labour 
was  brief.  He  had  cause  for  the  premonition. 
An  old  wound,  received  at  Lake  George, 
troubled  him  sorely.  By  the  advice  of  his 
redskin  friends,  he  visited  Saratoga,  to  test 
the  curative  properties  of  waters  until  then  un 
known  to  the  whites.  When  his  son  John, 
who  had  been  knighted  (for  his  father's  sake) 
in  England,  brought  a  New  York  bride  home 
to  the  Hall,  she  was  received  by  her  august 
father-in-law  with  all  the  state  and  cordiality 
due  to  her  position  as  the  wife  of  his  heir  and 
the  prospective  queen  of  the  fair  domain.  For 
some  days  the  Baronet  played  again,  and  for 
the  last  time,  the  courtly  lord  of  the  manor  to 
the  throng  of  guests  from  other  mansions,  for 
fifty  miles  up  and  down  the  Mohawk  and  the 
Hudson,  invited  to  welcome  the  bridal  pair. 


<  ^ 


Johnson  Hall  35 

Satin-shod  feet  skimmed  the  oaken  floors  ;  the 
thick  walls  echoed  all  day  long  and  far  into 
the  night  with  the  clamour  of  merry  voices  ; 
there  were  feasting  and  dancing  and  song, 
and  much  exchange  of  curtsies  and  bows  and 
fine  speeches,  and  as  little  apparent  concern 
on  account  of  the  impending  quarrel  between 
the  mother  country  and  colonies  as  apprehen 
sion  as  to  the  cause  of  the  ashy  pallor  which 
had  supplanted  bronze  and  glow  in  the  mas 
ter's  face. 

Attended  by  a  faithful  body-servant,  he  set 
off  for  New  London  at  the  end  of  a  week,  in 
the  hope  of  invigoration  from  the  sea-air  and 
sea-bathing,  leaving  the  young  couple  in  charge 
of  the  Hall  during  his  absence. 

Gradually  one  active  duty  after  another  was 
demitted,  Sir  William  spending  much  time  in 
his  library,  reading  books  he  had,  at  last,  leis 
ure  to  study,  and  writing  at  length  to  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Virginia  of  Indian  manners,  customs, 
traditions,  and  history. 

True  to  his  pledges  to  his  tribe,  he  emerged 
from  his  semi-seclusion  in  July,  1774,  to  pre 
side  over  a  congress  of  six  hundred  Indians  as 
sembled  to  confer  with  him  upon  divers  and 
vital  affairs,  big  with  fate  in  the  eyes  of  the  Six 


36         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Nations.  The  gathering  was  in  the  grounds 
of  Johnson  Hall ;  the  delegates  were  fed  from 
the  Hall  kitchen  ;  the  floors  of  rooms,  halls, 
and  porches  were  covered  at  night  with 
blankets,  as  was  the  turf  of  lawn  and  grove. 
Sir  William  occupied  the  chief  seat  of  honour 
in  the  conclave  of  Saturday,  July  9.  The 
peculiar  pallor  that  betrayed  the  ravages  of 
the  mysterious  and  subtle  disease  preying 
upon  his  vitals,  and  the  shrunken  outlines  of 
the  once  powerful  figure  were  all  the  indices 
of  failing  physical  strength  his  indomitable 
will  suffered  to  be  seen.  Wrapped  in  the  scarlet 
blanket  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  dear  to  the 
barbaric  taste  of  his  congeners,  he  sat  bolt  up 
right,  his  features  set  in  stern  gravity  becom 
ing  a  sachem,  and  hearkened  patiently  to  the 
long-drawn-out  details  of  the  wrongs  the  tribes 
had  endured  at  the  hands  of  their  nominal 
friends,  the  English.  The  boundaries  of  their 
territories  were  invaded  by  squatters  ;  their 
hunting-grounds  were  ranged  over  by  lawless 
furriers  and  trappers  ;  the  venders  of  fire-water 
brought  the  deadly  thing  to  the  very  doors  of 
their  wigwams. 

The  sun  was  nearing  the  zenith  when   the 
tale  began.      It  was  not  far  from  the  western 


Johnson  Hall  37 

hills  when  the  last  orator  ceased  speaking. 
The  presiding  chief  reminded  them  that  the 
day  was  far  spent,  and  that  the  morrow  would 
be  the  Sabbath,  on  which  their  white  brothers 
did  no  work.  On  Monday  they  should  have 
their  answer  from  his  lips — the  lips  that  had 
never  lied  to  them. 

Johnstown  was  now  a  village  of  eighty  fam 
ilies,  with  shops  and  dwellings  built  with  lumber 
from  Johnson's  saw-mills,  and  pearlash  from 
his  factories.  In  the  centre  of  the  town,  named 
for  his  oldest  son,  stood  the  Episcopal  church, 
a  gift  to  the  parish  from  the  founder  of  the 
place.  We  wish  we  knew  whether  he  sat  in 
the  Johnson  pew  that  Sunday,  or  sought  recup 
eration  for  his  waning  forces  in  such  rest  and 
quiet  as  were  attainable  in  the  solitude  of  his 
library,  with  six  hundred  savages  encamped 
under  the  windows. 

He  began  his  oration  to  them  at  ten  o'clock 
Monday  morning,  standing,  uncovered,  under 
the  July  sky.  From  the  preamble,  his  tone  was 
conciliatory  ;  sometimes  it  was  pleading.  He 
assured  the  malcontents  that  the  outrages  they 
resented,  and  with  reason,  were  not  the  act  of 
the  government,  but  of  lawless  individuals.  He 
promised  redress  in  the  name  of  King  and 


38         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Governor  ;  recapitulated  past  benefits  received 
from  both  of  these ;  counselled  chanty  of 
judgment  and  moderation  in  action.  He  had 
never  been  more  eloquent,  never  more  nearly 
sublime  than  in  this,  the  final  union  of  the 
finest  type  of  Indian  and  of  the  upright  white 
citizen  of  the  New  World.  He  was  the  warrior 
in  every  inch  of  his  lofty  stature,  quivering 
with  energy  in  the  impassioned  periods  that 
acknowledged  the  red  man's  wrongs  and  main 
tained  the  red  man's  rights.  He  was  no  less 
the  loyal  subject  of  King  George  in  the  calm 
recital  of  what  the  parent  government  had 
done  for  its  allies,  and  solemn  pledges  for  the 
future. 

He  spoke  for  two  hours.  The  day  was 
fiercely  hot.  When  he  would  have  resumed 
his  seat,  he  staggered  and  reeled  backward. 
His  servants  rushed  forward  and  carried  him 
into  the  library.  An  express  messenger  leaped 
upon  his  horse  and  galloped  off  madly  for  Sir 
John  Johnson,  who  was  at  his  own  home,  nine 
miles  away,  thankful,  we  make  no  doubt,  to 
escape  the  assembling  of  the  tribes.  The  son 
rode  a  blooded  hunter  eight  miles  in  fifteen 
minutes,  the  animal  falling  dead  under  him 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Johnson  Hall. 


Johnson  Hall  39 

Leaving  him  in  the  road,  Sir  John  procured 
another  horse  and  dashed  on.  His  father  still 
lay  in  the  library,  supported  by  his  trusty 
body-servant.  The  son  fell  upon  his  knees  at 
his  side,  and  poured  a  flood  of  anguished  ques 
tions  into  the  dulled  ear.  There  was  no  an 
swer,  and  no  token  of  recognition.  In  less 
than  ten  minutes  the  last  breath  was  drawn. 

"  He  died  of  a  suffocation,"  wrote  Guy 
Johnson  to  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth.  The  re 
port  of  the  sorrowing  Council  at  Albany  said, 
"  a  fit  of  some  kind."  He  had  been  subject 
for  many  months  to  "a  sense  of  compressure 
and  tightness  across  the  stomach,"  diagnosed 
by  his  physician  as  "  stoppage  of  the  gall-duct." 
Whatever  might  have  been  the  malady,  he  had 
battled  with  it  long  and  valiantly  ;  he  died 
with  his  harness  on,  as  sachem  and  Anglo- 
Saxon  should. 

Two  thousand  whites  attended  the  funeral, 
and  "  of  Indians  a  great  multitude,  who  be 
haved  with  the  greatest  decorum  and  exhibited 
the  most  lively  marks  of  a  real  sorrow."  At 
their  earnest  instance  they  were  allowed  to  per 
form  their  own  ceremonies  over  the  remains 
when  the  Christian  services  were  concluded. 
A  double  belt  of  wampum  was  laid  upon  the 


40         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

body  ;  six  rows  of  the  same  were  bound  about 
the     grave.       Each    was     deposited    as     the 
"  Amen"  of  a  panegyric  upon  the  virtues  and 
deeds  of  the   deceased  chieftain.     The   preg 
nant  sentence  I  have  already  quoted  summed 
up  the  body  and  soul  of  the  testimony  : 
"Sir  William  Johnson  never  deceived  us." 
Thus   lived    and   thus   died,   in   his   sixtieth 
year,  the  best  friend  the  North  American  In 
dian  has  ever  had,  William  Penn  not  excepted. 


II 


JOHNSON  HALL,  JOHNSTOWN,  NEW  YORK 

( Concluded ) 

THE    progress    of    Sir    William    Johnson's 
mortal    malady    was   accelerated    by  his 
grief  at   the    rupture  between   the    American 
Colonies  and  the  Mother  Country. 
Parkman  says  : 

''He  stood  wavering  in  an  agony  of  indecision, 
divided  between  his  loyalty  to  the  sovereign  who  was 
the  source  of  all  his  honours,  and  his  reluctance  to  be 
come  the  agent  of  a  murderous  Indian  warfare  against 
his  countrymen  and  friends.  His  resolution  was  never 
taken.  He  was  hurried  to  his  grave  by  mental  distress, 
or,  as  many  believed,  by  the  act  of  his  own  hand." 

Dismissing  the  latter  hypothesis  with  the 
remark  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  incidents, 
of  the  death-scene,  as  related  in  our  preceding 
chapter,  to  warrant  the  suspicion  of  suicide, 
we  cannot  gainsay  the  evidence  that  the  inde- 

41 


42         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

cision — a  novelty  to  him  in  any  circumstances 
—was  a  veritable  agony.  At  one  and  the 
same  time  we  find  him  writing  letters  con 
demnatory  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  exhorting 
his  Indian  allies — "  Whatever  may  happen, 
you  must  not  be  shaken  out  of  your  shoes  in 
your  allegiance  to  your  King."  Joseph  Brant 
believed  that  he  was  following  up  the  task  his 
:great  patron  had  laid  down  at  the  grave's 
mouth,  when  he  declared  that  he  "  joined  the 
Royal  army  purely  on  account  of  my  fore 
fathers'  engagements  with  the  King."  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Wheelock,  Brant's  preceptor  at  the 
Moor  Charity  School,  was  deputed  to  remon 
strate  with  him  upon  his  espousal  of  the  Tory 
cause,  and  received  a  reply  as  suave,  yet  as  strin 
gent,  as  Sir  William  himself  could  have  framed  : 

"  I  can  never  forget,  dear  Sir,  your  prayers 
and  your  precepts.  You  taught  me  to  fear 
God  and  to  honour  the  King  !  " 

Sir  John  Johnson  succeeded  to  his  father's 
title  and  the  bulk  of  his  estates  ;  Guy  Johnson, 
as  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs.  Joseph 
Brant  was  Guy  Johnson's  secretary.  Colonel 
John  Butler  and  his  son  Walter  were  among 
the  Johnsons'  nearest  neighbours  and  closest 
friends.  In  all  the  disrupted  Colonies  there 


JOSEPH  BRANT. 
•  (FROM  ORIGINAL  PAINTING  AT  VAN  CORTLANDT  MANOR-HOUSE.     THE  SCARF  BELONGED  TO 

BRANT   AND   WAS    GIVEN    BY    HIM    TO   JAMES    CALDWELL,    ESQ.,    OF    ALBANY.) 


43 


Johnson  Hall  45 

was  no  hotter  bed  of  toryism  than  Johnson 
Hall  became  in  less  than  a  year  from  the 
founder's  death.  In  1775,  Guy  Johnson,  ac 
companied  by  his  secretary  and  spokesman, 
made  a  formal  progress  from  tribe  to  tribe  of 
friendly  Indians  to  confirm  them  in  their 
allegiance  to  the  Crown.  Brant,  who  had,  in 
his  earlier  youth,  zealously  "  endeavoured  to 
teach  his  poor  brethren  the  things  of  GOD"; 
who  had  assisted  an  English  divine  in  the 
preparation  of  an  Indian  prayer-book,  had 
help  translate  into  the  Indian  tongue  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  and  a  History  of  the  Bible  ; 
the  humble  communicant  in  the  Johnstown 
Episcopal  Church, — harangued  his  race  upon 
the  imperative  duty  of  resisting  treason  to  the 
bloody  death,  adjuring  them  by  the  memory 
of  his  benefactor  and  theirs  to  join  the  Scotch 
colonists  and  the  tenantry  of  Johnson  Hall 
in  the  holy  purpose  of  giving  the  King  his 
own  again. 

Sir  John  fortified  the  stone  house,  garrisoned 
it  with  the  white  reserve,  and  surrounded  it 
with  the  living  "  barriers  "  his  father  had  cast 
about  him  for  protection  against  the  French. 
Then  he  awaited  the  results  of  his  determined 
attitude. 


46         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

On  January  19,  1776,  the  fort  was  surprised1 
by  a  body  of  rebels — still  so  called — under  Gen 
eral  Schuyler  ;  the  garrison  was  disarmed  and 
disbanded,  and  Sir  John  paroled.  In  May  of 
the  next  year  news  reached  Schuyler's  head 
quarters  that  the  paroled  man  was  in  corre 
spondence  with  the  British  in  Canada,  sending 
out  and  receiving  spies,  accumulating  ammun 
ition  in  and  near  the  Hall,  and  inciting  the 
Mohawks  to  a  massacre  of  the  Valley  people. 
An  order  was  issued  for  his  arrest.  He  heard 
of  it  in  season  to  escape  with  a  few  retainers 
to  Canada.  Before  his  flight  he  buried  an 
iron  chest  containing  family  plate  in  the  gar 
den,  another,  filled  with  money  and  valuable 
papers,  in  the  cellar,  hiding-places  known  to 
none  of  those  left  behind  except  Lady  John 
son. 

She  was  living  in  Albany  with  her  own  re 
latives  when  Lafayette  visited  Johnson  Hall  in 
1778.  Once  more  the  outlying  slopes  about 
the  stone  house  were  covered  with  Indians, 
and  the  resources  of  the  establishment  were 
taxed  to  the  utmost  to  provide  for  their  enter 
tainment.  Five  out  of  the  Six  Nations  were 
represented  in  the  Council  attended  and 
addressed  by  the  titled  Frenchman. 


Johnson  Hall  47 

Joseph  Brant  convened  a  very  different  as 
sembly  of  his  countrymen  in  the  neighbour 
hood  early  in  the  year  1780.  He  was  then  a 
"  likely  fellow  of  fierce  aspect,  tall  and  rather 
spare,"  gorgeously  arrayed  in  a  short  green 
coat,  laced  round  hat,  leggings  and  breeches 
of  blue  cloth.  His  moccasins  were  embroid 
ered  with  beads,  his  blue  cloth  blanket  was 
carefully  draped  so  as  to  make  the  most  of  his 
glittering  epaulets.  His  name  was  now  a 
word  of  terror  throughout  the  land ;  his  fellow 
marauders  were  the  Butlers  and  William  John 
son  (the  son  of  his  sister,  Mary  Brant,  and  Sir 
William  Johnson),  Colonel  Guy  Johnson  and 
Colonel  Daniel  Claus,  the  husband  of  Nancy 
Johnson.  Molly  Brant  had  lived,  since  Sir 
William's  death,  at  one  of  the  upper  Mohawk 
Castles,  with  her  younger  children.  Tradition 
describes  her  as  visiting  the  Hall,  once  her 
home,  when  especially  daring  expeditions  were 
under  discussion,  sitting,  as  darkly  handsome 
and  as  fierce  as  a  panther,  at  the  council-table, 
and  fearlessly  putting  into  words  the  project 
of  devastating  the  beautiful  Valley  with  fire, 
bullet,  and  tomahawk.  She  had  secret  means 
of  communication  with  her  brother  wherever 
he  was,  giving  him  much  valuable  information 


4$         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

as  to  the  weak  points  in  the  defences  of  the 
Americans,  and  the  movements  of  their  forces. 
It  was  suspected  that  she  was  one  of  the 
few  dwellers  in  the  Valley  who  was  not  sur 
prised  when  on  the  night  of  May  21,  1780,  a 
horde  of  three  hundred  whites — British  and 
Tories — and  two  hundred  Indians  fell  like  a 
pack  of  hell-hounds  upon  the  peaceful  neigh 
bourhood  in  which  John  Johnson  was  born 
and  brought  up.  No  mercy  was  shown  to 
age,  sex,  or  former  friendships.  Killing,  scalp 
ing,  and  burning  as  they  went,  the  invaders 
pushed  their  murderous  way  up  to  the  doors 
of  Johnson  Hall,  put  the  few  inmates  to  flight, 
and  occupied  the  house  and  grounds.  No 
time  was  to  be  lost.  The  blazing  houses  and 
barns  would  tell  the  story  of  that  night's  work 
for  many  miles  up  and  down  the  river,  and  Sir 
John  had  known  something  of  the  colonists  in 
such  circumstances — "  the  rude,  unlettered, 
great-souled  yeomen  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  who 
braved  death  at  Oriskany  that  Congress  and 
the  free  Colonies  might  be  free."  In  hot  haste 
he  unearthed  the  treasure  from  cellar  and 
garden  ;  forty  knapsacks  full  of  booty  were  laid 
upon  as  many  soldiers'  shoulders,  and  the  bloody 
crew  departed  as  swiftly  as  they  had  come. 


Johnson  Hall  49 

"  He  might  have  recovered  his  plate,"  says 
Stone,  dryly  and  sorrowfully,  "without  light 
ing  up  his  path  by  conflagration  of  neighbours' 
houses,  or  staining  his  skirts  with  innocent 
blood." 

Sir  John's  raid  upon  his  homestead  and  the 
vicinity  was  followed  in  less  than  a  month  by 
Brant's  as  sudden  descent  upon  Canajoharie, 
fifteen  miles  away.  All  the  inhabitants  who 
were  not  killed  were  carried  off  prisoners ; 
towns  and  forts  were  burned.  From  the  porch 
of  Johnson  Hall  and  the  fields  about  Johns 
town,  groups  of  terrified  men  and  women 
watched  the  rise  and  flare  of  the  cruel  flames 
against  the  sky,  and  guessed  truly  by  whose 
orders  they  were  kindled. 

The  town,  which  is,  to  this  day,  a  memorial 
of  the  Baronet-General's  fondness  for  his  son 
and  heir,  was  better  prepared  to  repel  inva 
sion  in  1781.  Taught  wariness  by  adversity, 
the  stout-hearted  burghers  and  boers  stood 

o 

ready  and  undismayed  to  receive  the  mixed 
force  of  four  hundred  whites  and  half  as  many 
Indians,  that  hurled  themselves  upon  Johns 
town,  led  by  the  Butlers,  father  and  son. 

A  bloody  fight  ensued.  Instead  of  making 
Johnson  Hall  their  headquarters  as  they  had 


50         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

hoped  to  do,  the  attacking  party  was  beaten 
back  with  heavy  losses.  Walter  Butler  was 
shot  and  scalped  in  the  retreat  by  an  Oneida 
chief.  His  violent  dealings  had  returned  upon 
his  own  head.  In  connection  with  this  ex 
pedition  Brant  had  said,  when  upbraided  with 
the  cruelties  committed  by  the  invaders  : 

"  /do  not  make  war  upon  women  and  child 
ren  !  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  have  those 
engaged  with  me  who  are  more  savage  than 
the  savages  themselves "-  —and  named  the 
Butlers. 

The  story  goes  that  the  Oneida  who  killed 
Walter  Butler  had  aided  the  settlers  in  the 
abortive  attempt  to  save  their  homes  and 
families  from  the  Cherry  Valley  massacre 
mentioned  a  while  ago.  When  the  wounded 
white  captain  cried  for  "  quarter,"  the  Oneida 
yelled,  "  I  give  you  Cherry  Valley  quarter !  " 
and  buried  his  tomahawk  in  the  wretched 
man's  brain.  Such  was  the  abhorrence  felt  by 
the  Indian  allies  of  the  American  forces  for 
the  slain  Tory  that  his  body  was  left  unburied 
where  it  lay,  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts 
and  carnivorous  birds,  on  the  bank  of  a  stream 
known  from  that  bloody  day  as  "  Butler's 
Ford." 


Johnson  Hall  51 

The  Butler  homestead  is  still  standing,  a 
few  miles  from  Johnson  Hall. 

Sir  John  Johnson  had  left  behind  him,  in  his 
first  hurried  flight  to  Canada,  the  Family  Bible, 
containing  the  record  of  his  parents'  marriage. 
As  no  other  documentary  proof  of  it  was  extant 
the  act  was  culpably  careless  if  he  valued  his 
birthright  as  a  legitimate  son.  The  book  found 
its  way  to  the  hands  of  an  Albany  citizen,  and 
was  by  him  restored  to  the  rightful  owner.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  Sir 
John  went  to  England  and  remained  there  for 
some  years,  returning  to  Canada  in  1785. 
There,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  services  he 
had  rendered  the  Royal  cause  in  the  struggle 
with  the  rebellious  Colonies,  he  was  made 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  in  America 
and  received  valuable  grants  of  Canadian  lands. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  in  Mon 
treal,  in  the  year  1830.  His  son  and  successor 
was  Sir  Adam  Gordon  Johnson.  Their  de 
scendants  are  numerous,  most  of  them  living 
in  Canada. 

Other  of  Sir  William  Johnson's  descendants 
intermarried  with  prominent  New  York  families. 

Johnson  Hall,  with  the  large  estate  surround 
ing  it,  being  confiscated  by  the  Continental 


52         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Government,  was  sold  to  James  Caldwell,  Esq., 
of  Albany,  for  $30,000,  "  in  public  securities." 
Within  a  week,  from  the  day  of  purchase  he 
sold  it  in  his  turn,  and  for  hard  cash,  for  $7,000, 
clearing  a  handsome  sum  by  the  operation. 
The  place  changed  hands  four  times  in  the  ten 
years  lying  between  1 785  and  1 795. 

In  1807  Mr.  Eleazar  Wells  was  married  to 
Miss  Aken  in  the  drawing-room  of  Johnson 
Hall.  The  mansion  had  been  so  well  cared 
for  that  the  paint  and  paper  of  this  apartment 
were  the  same  as  in  Sir  William's  time  and  in 
excellent  preservation.  Mr.  Wells  became  the 
owner  of  the  place  in  1829.  It  is  now  the 
property  of  his  widowed  daughter-in-law,  Mrs. 
John  E.  Wells,  and  retains  the  reputation  for 
large-hearted  hospitality  established  and  main 
tained  by  the  founder. 

Lossing  says  of  it  in  1848,  "It  is  the  only 
baronial  hall  in  the  United  States."  But  for 
the  modernisincr  touches  visible  in  the  bay- 

o  J 

windows  and  the  wing  at  the  beholder's  right, 
as  he  faces  the  ancient  building,  the  main 
body  of  the  Hall  is  unaltered.  It  is  of  wood, 
the  massive  clapboards  laid  on  to  resemble 
stone  blocks.  The  front  elevation  is  forty  feet 
in  width,  and  the  depth  is  sixty  feet.  Two 


Johnson  Hall  55 

stone  blockhouses,  with  loopholes  under  the 
eaves,  flanked  the  mansion  as  erected  by  Sir 
William,  for  nearly  a  century  after  his  decease. 
That  on  the  right  was  burned  some  years  ago. 
These  "forts"  were  connected  with  the  man 
sion  by  tunnelled  passages.  A  central  hall, 
fifteen  feet  wide,  cuts  the  dwelling  in  two,  run 
ning  from  front  to  back  doors.  The  broad 
staircase  is  fine.  After  the  manner  of  their 
English  forbears,  the  colonists  made  much  of 
stairways,  sometimes  to  the  extent  of  cramping 
living-rooms  to  give  sweep  to  the  ascent,  and 
breadth  to  landings.  The  mahogany  balus 
trades,  imported  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  are 
in  place,  but  the  polished  rail  is  hacked,  as 
with  a  hatchet,  at  intervals  of  ten  or  twelve 
inches,  all  the  way  down.  The  tradition, 
which  has  never  been  doubted,  of  the  mutila 
tion  is  that  it  was  done  by  Brant  in  1777,  the 
date  of  Sir  John  Johnson's  precipitate  departure 
from  the  home  of  his  father  to  escape  the  con 
sequences  of  his  double  dealing  with  General 
Schuyler,  who  had  paroled  him.  In  view  of 
the  strong  probability  that  the  deserted  house 
might  be  entered,  plundered,  and  fired  by  some 
wandering  band  of  Indians,  the  half-breed 
leader  left  upon  the  wood  hasty  hieroglyphics 


56         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

which  they  would  understand  and  respect.  The 
roof  reared  by  the  patron  who  had  filled  a 
father's  place  to  him, — whether  or  not  he  had 
a  natural  right  to  the  office, — must  be  spared 
for  that  patron's  sake. 

We  cannot  but  view  the  rude  indentations 
reverently.  With  mute  eloquence  they  awaken 
thoughts  of  the  mark  left  "upon  the  lintels 
and  the  two  side-posts  "  of  the  houses  to  be 
spared  by  the  destroying  angel  on  the  Pass 
over  night.  Nothing  we  have  seen  in  any 
other  Colonial  homestead  appeals  more  strongly 
to  heart  and  imagination  than  these  tokens  of 
love  and  gratitude,  stronger  than  death,  and 
of  the  authority  exercised  by  the  educated 
savage  over  his  fierce  followers. 

The  rooms  are  large  and  lofty  and  wain 
scoted  with  native  woods,  rich  with  the  dyes 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years.  The  library,  in 
which  Sir  William  drew  his  last  breath,  is  now 
used  as  a  bedroom. 

The  late  General  Thomas  Hillhouse  was 
wont  to  say  that  "  Sir  William  Johnson  was 
the  greatest  Proconsul  the  English  ever  had 
in  the  American  Colonies,  and  that  if  he  had 
lived,  the  entire  course  of  the  Revolution 
might — would  probably  have  been  changed." 


Johnson  Hall  57 

The  stamp  of  his  potent  personality  lingers 
upon  the  neighbourhood  he  rescued  from  the 
wilderness.  Tales  of  a  life  without  parallel  in 
the  history  of  our  country  are  circulated  in 
Johnstown  and  Fonda  and  Caughnawaga,  as 
of  one  who  died  but  yesterday.  Some  are 
grave  ;  some  are  comic  ;  many  are  unquestion 
ably  myths  ;  all  are  interesting.  We  may  dis 
credit  the  story,  seriously  retailed  by  Lossing, 
that  Sir  William  was  the  father  of  a  hundred 
children.  Presumably,  although  our  delightful 
gossip  does  not  state  it  in  so  many  words, 
ninety-odd  were  half-breeds. 

We  incline  a  listening  ear  to  the  account  of  the 
seclusion  in  which  Mary  and  "  Nancy"  John 
son  were  brought  up  after  their  mother's  death. 
According  to  this,  the  two  girls  were  educated 
by  the  widow  of  an  English  officer,  a  gentle 
woman  who  had  been  Mrs.  Johnson's  intimate 
friend.  She  lived  with  her  charges  apart  from 
the  rest  of  the  household,  training  them  in  the 
few  branches  of  learning  studied  by  young 
ladies  of  that  day,  teaching  them  fine  needle 
work  of  various  kinds,  one  with  them  in  their 
pleasures  and  pursuits.  They  are  said  to  have 
dressed  after  a  fashion  dictated  by  their  gov 
erness  and  never  altered  while  they  were  under 


58         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

her  care  ;  a  sort  of  pelisse,  or  loose  gown, — 
like  the  modern  peignoir, — of  fine  flowered 
chintz,  opened  in  front  to  show  a  green  silk 
petticoat.  Their  hair,  thick,  long,  and  very 
beautiful,  was  tied  at  the  back  of  the  head  with 
ribbon.  We  are  asked,  furthermore,  to  believe 
that  up  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  the  sisters  had 
seen  no  women  of  their  own  station  except 
their  governess,  and  no  white  man  but  their 
father,  who  visited  them  every  day,  and  took  a 
lively  interest  in  their  education.  When,  in 
his  judgment,  they  were  ready  to  leave  the 
conventual  retreat,  he  married  Mary  to  her 
cousin,  Guy  Johnson,  Ann  to  Daniel  Claus. 
After  their  marriages,  they  acquired  the  ways 
of  the  outer  world  with  wonderful  rapidity, 
and  played  their  parts  as  society  women 
well. 

The  tradition,  if  it  be  true,  ranks  itself  upon 
the  reputable,  country-gentleman  side  of  their 
father's  dual  nature.  By  no  other  means  could 
he  have  kept  Mary  Brant  and  her  brood  apart 
from  the  fair-faced  daughters  of  Catherine 
Wissenberg,  or  prevented  the  shadow  of  early 
equivocal  associations  from  darkening  the  fame 
of  Mesdames  Guy  Johnson  and  Daniel  Claus. 
He  was  passing  wise  in  his  generation. 


Johnson  Hall  59 

If  the  tale  be  not  authentic,  it  ought  to  be. 

Many  of  the  incidents  linked  into  the  story 
of  Johnson  Hall  rest  upon  the  valid  testimony 
of  Mrs.  Edwards,  a  sister  of  Mr.  Eleazar 
Wells.  This  venerable  gentlewoman  lived  to 
see  her  eighty-seventh  birthday,  and  preserved 
her  excellent  memory  to  the  latest  day  of  her 
life.  One  of  these  anecdotes  is  curiously 
suggestive. 

On  a  certain  day  in  the  year  1815,  or  there 
abouts,  a  party  of  eight  or  ten  horsemen  ap 
peared  at  the  Hall,  and  demanded  permission 
to  go  into  the  cellar.  None  of  the  men  of  the 
family  were  at  home,  and  Mrs.  Wells,  dread 
ing  violence  if  the  visitors  were  refused,  granted 
the  singular  request,  contriving,  nevertheless, 
that  their  proceedings  should  be  watched.  In 
a  dark  corner  of  the  cellar  was  a  well,  dug  by 
Sir  William  Johnson  to  supply  the  garrison 
with  water  in  the  event  of  a  siege,  but  now 
half  filled  with  stones  and  earth.  The  intrud 
ers  began  at  once  to  tear  out  the  rubbish, 
presently  unearthing  several  boxes,  which  they 
carried  into  the  upper  air  and  into  a  field 
back  of  the  house  and  orchard.  In  the  sight 
of  the  terrified  women  watching  them  from  the 
upper  windows,  they  emptied  the  coffers  of 


60         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  papers  that  filled  them  and  "  sat  on  the 
ground  a  long  time," — said  Mrs.  Edwards,— 
opening  and  examining  them.  At  last,  they 
made  a  fire  upon  the  hillside  and  threw  arm 
ful  after  armful  of  the  papers  into  it.  When 
all  were  consumed,  they  remounted  their  horses,, 
and  rode  off  "  towards  Canada." 

Sir  John  Johnson  was  then  alive.  The  sur 
mise  was  inevitable  that  search  and  destruc 
tion  were  instigated  by  him,  and  for  reasons 
we  can  never  know. 

At  some  period  of  its  history  the  interesting 
old  landmark  had  rough  usage  from  temporary 
occupants.  If  the  hall-carpet  were  lifted  we 
should  see  the  print  of  stamping  hoofs  upon 
the  oaken  boards  beneath,  proving  that  troop 
ers — American  or  Tory — stabled  their  horses 
there,  tethering  them  to  the  noble  staircase 
protected  from  nominal  barbarians  by  the 
gashes  of  Brant's  hatchet. 

Sir  William  Johnson  was  buried  in  a  brick 
vault  constructed  in  his  lifetime  under  the 
chancel  of  St.  John's  Church  in  Johnstown. 
The  corner-stone  of  the  building  "  was  laid  in 
1772  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  Sir  William 
Johnson,  Sir  John  Johnson,  John  Butler,  Daniel 
Claus,  Guy  Johnson,  and  General  Herkimer 


ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH,  JOHNSTOWN,   N.  Y. 


Johnson  Hall  63; 

taking  part  therein.  .  .  .  This  church 
contained  the  first  church-organ  west  of  Al 
bany." 

So  writes  Mr.  James  T.  Younglove,  an  ac 
complished  antiquarian  and  a  zealous  student 
of  the  stirring  history  of  the  Mohawk  Valley. 

William  Elliott  Griffis  adds  that  when  the 
church  was  burned  in  1836,  and  rebuilt  (with 
the  old  stones  as  far  as  possible)  in  1838,  "the 
site  was  so  changed  that  the  grave  of  Johnson 
was  left  outside  the  new  building.  .  .  .In 
1862  the  rector,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Kellogg, 
took  measurements,  sunk  a  shaft,  and  dis 
covered  the  brick  vault." 

The  sanctity  of  the  tomb  of  the  loyal  subject 
of  King  George  had  been  invaded  long  before. 
The  leaden  case  enveloping  the  solid  ma 
hogany  coffin  was  melted  down  and  moulded 
into  bullets  during  the  Revolutionary  War 
(to  be  fired  at  those  of  his  own  blood  and 
name!).  The  ring  with  which  he  married 
Catherine  Wissenberg  was  found  embedded 
in  his  dust,  and  is  still  preserved  by  the 
Masonic  Lodge  he  established  at  Johnson 
Hall.  After  his  death  the  lodge  was  removed 
to  the  quarters  it  now  occupies  in  Johnstown. 
The  cradle  in  which  "  Mary  Brant,  house- 


64         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

keeper,"   rocked   his    tawny   children,    is    also 
kept  there. 

The  poor  mortal  remains  of  the  fearless 
master  among  men  were  reburied  in  a  "  hol 
lowed  granite  block"  in  the  churchyard.  No 
other  grave  is  near.it.  For  sixty  years  school 
boys  played  and  romped  and  shouted  over  it, 
and  passers  in  the  streets  of  the  now  thriving 
town  gave  as  little  thought  to  the  unmarked 
mound.  Within  the  past  five  years  the  earnest 
efforts  of  the  President'  of  the  Johnstown 
Historical  Society,  Hon.  Horace  E.  Smith, 
have  been  the  means  of  enkindling  new  and 
intelligent  interest  in  one  whom  Dr.  Griffis 
calls  "  the  Maker  of  America."  A  movement 
is  now  on  foot  to  erect  a  suitable  monument 
to  the  pioneer  to  whom  Johnstown  owes  birth, 
name,  and  the  associations  that  make  it  an 
historic  shrine. 


Ill 


LACHAUMIERE  DU  PRAIRIE,  NEAR  LEXINGTON. 
KENTUCKY 

The  Travels  of  John  Francis,  Marquis  de 
Chastelleux,  in  North  America,  is  a  rare  old 
book  from  which  several  quotations  were  made 
in  a  former  volume  of  this  series. 

In  a  stately  style,  somewhat  stiffened  by  the 
English  translator,  the  author — one  of  the  forty 
members  of  the  French  Academy,  and  Major- 
General  in  the  French  army  under  the  Count 
de  Rochambeau — describes  a  "  dining-day,"  as 
it  was  called  in  the  region,  at  Maycox,  oppos 
ite  Westover  on  the  James  River.  The  trav 
elled  Marquis  had  met  Mr.  David  Meade,  the 
proprietor  of  Maycox,  and  his  wife  at  Williams- 
burg,  some  weeks  earlier  than  the  date  of  the 
foreigner's  sojourn  at  Westover,  and  then  and 
there  had  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  their 
plantation. 

65 


66         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

After  descanting,  in  Grandisonian  periods, 
upon  the  "  charming  situation  "  of  Maycox,  he 
informs  us  that  it  was  "  extremely  well  fitted 
up  within."  Furthermore,  it  commanded  a 
full  view  of  Westover,  "  which,  with  its  sur 
rounding  appendages,  had  the  appearance  of  a 
small  town."  Westover,  the  seat  of  the  Byrds, 
was  still  in  the  prime  of  prosperity  to  the  casual 
eye,  crippled  'though  the  family  fortunes  were 
by  the  "  gaming"  propensities  of  the  late 
owner,  William  Byrd  the  third.  The  French 
nobleman  saw  everything  through  the  couleur 
de  rose  of  gallant  appreciation  of  the  many 
charms  of  the  widowed  chatelaine,  heightened 
by  gratitude  for  the  distinguished  hospitality 
he  had  received  from  her  and  other  James 
River  landowners. 

There  is,  then,  an  accent  of  surprise  in  his 
mention  of  Mr.  Meade's  latent  discontent  with 
the  lot  cast  for  him  in  these  pleasant  places. 

"  The  charming  situation,"  he  observes,  "  is  capable 
of  being  made  still  more  beautiful  if  Mr.  Meade  pre 
serves  his  house,  and  gives  some  attention  to  it,  for  he  is 
a  philosopher  of  a  very  amiable,  but  singular,  turn  of 
mind,  and  such  as  is  particularly  uncommon  in  Virginia, 
since  he  rarely  attends  to  affairs  of  interest,  and  cannot 
prevail  upon  himself  to  make  his  negroes  work.  He  is 
even  so  disgusted  with  a  culture  wherein  it  is  necessary 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  67 

to  make  use  of  slaves  that  he  is  tempted  to  sell  his  pos 
sessions  in  Virginia  and  remove  to  New  England." 

Rev.  Meade  C.  Williams,  D.D.,  of  St.  Louis, 
a  descendant  of  the  nascent  Abolitionist  {pro 
tempore  /),  records  that  Mr.  (Colonel)  David 
Meade  spent  three  ample  inherited  fortunes 
upon  the  adornment  of  Maycox  and  the  home 
stead  in  Kentucky,  to  which  territory  he  re 
moved  shortly  after  his  threat  to  solace  his 
conscience  by  seeking  an  abiding-place  in  New 
England. 

"  It  will  be  noted,"  continues  the  document 
before  me,  "  that  the  most  conspicuous  feature 
of  the  Meades  has  been  this  very  lack  of  ambi 
tion  in  state  affairs,  and  a  love  of  domestic 
tranquility." 

So  far,  so  good,  in  the  branch  of  an  ancient 
and  honourable  family  to  which  this  particular 
planter  belonged.  The  assertion  is  a  decided 
misfit  when  we  attempt  to  join  it  to  other  sec 
tions  of  the  genealogical  table.  One  of  the 
ancestors  of  the  disgusted  slaveholder  and 
amiable  philosopher  was  Thomas  Cromwell,  a 
pupil  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who,  in  bidding  a 
long  farewell  to  all  his  greatness,  charged  his 
subordinate  to  "  fling  away  ambition." 

Cromwell  rejoins  feelingly  : 


68         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  The  king  shall  have  my  service,  but  my  prayers 
For  ever  and  for  ever  shall  be  yours." 

Wolsey  did  not  doubt  the  "  honest  truth " 
of  his  late  follower,  and  tearful  Thomas  meant 
sincerely  enough  when  he  called  "  all  that  have 
not  hearts  of  iron  "  to  bear  witness — 


"  With  what  a  sorrow  Cromwell  leaves  his  lord." 

Yet  the  next  act  finds 

"  Thomas  Cromwell 

A  man  in  much  esteem  with  the  king  and  truly 
A  worthy  friend.     .     .     .     The  king 
Has  made  him  master  of  the  jewel-house 
And  one,  already,  of  the  privy  council." 

Oliver  Cromwell  was  a  nephew  of  Thomas. 
Whatever  other  failings  were  charged  upon  the 
Lord  Protector,  he  was  never  accused  by  con 
temporaries  or  by  posterity  with  a  lack  of 
vaulting  ambition. 

Running  an  inquisitive  finger  down  the  race- 
line  of  the  Meades,  we  arrest  it  at  the  name 
and  history  of  the  first  of  the  family  who  emi 
grated  to  America.  Andrew  Meade,  an  Irish 
Roman  Catholic,  crossed  the  ocean  (for  rea 
sons  we  may  be  able  to  show  presently)  late 
in  the  seventeenth  century. 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  69 

"  In  the  year  1745  he  deceased,  leaving  a 
character  without  a  stain,  having  had  the  glori 
ous  epithet  connected  with  his  name,  long  be 
fore  he  died,  of  '  The  Honest.' ' 

It  is  more  than  conjectured  that  his  self- 
expatriation  followed  close  upon  the  accession 
of  William  and  Mary  to  the  throne  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  He  belonged  to  a  fight 
ing  family,  and  such  men  were  safer  in  the 
Colonies  than  at  home. 

The  element  of  "  tranquility "  may  have 
been  infused  into  blood  hitherto  somewhat  hot 
and  turbulent,  by  his  marriage  with  an  Ameri 
can  Quakeress,  Mary  Latham  by  name.  He 
left  the  bulk  of  his  Virginia  estate  to  his  eldest 
son,  David  (i),  who  married,  four  or  five  years 
after  his  father's  decease,  the  daughter  of  an 
English  baronet.  At  the  date  of  the  marriage, 
the  father-in-law,  Sir  Richard  Everard,  was 
proprietary  governor  of  North  Carolina. 

The  second  David  Meade  was  born  in  1 744. 
In  accordance  with  the  general  custom  of  well 
born  and  affluent  English  colonists,  his  father 
sent  him  to  England,  at  a  tender  age,  to  get  a 
gentleman's  education.  He  got  it  at  Harrow 
School.  The  Head  Master  at  that  time  was 
Dr.  Thackeray,  Archdeacon  of  Surrey,  Chap- 


70         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

lain  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  grandfather  to 
the  great  novelist  of  that  name. 

A  story   current    in  the  Meade  connexion, 
even  down  to  our  day,  is  that  the  persons  and 


DAVID  MEADE  AT  THE  AGE  OF  8. 

FROM    ORIGINAL    PAINTING    BY   THOMAS    HUDSON.        OWNED    BY    E.     P.    WILLIAMS,     ESQ., 
OF    NEW    YORK. 

characters  of  David  Meade  and  his  younger 
and  more  brilliant  brother,  Richard  Kidder,— 
who  joined  him  in  England  some  years  there 
after,  going  with  him  from  Harrow  to  a  private 
school  in  Hackney  Parish, — furnished  the  sug 
gestion  of  William  Makepeace  Thackeray's 
Virginians.  It  is  certain  that  David,  at  least, 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  71 

was  domesticated  for  five  years  in  Dr. 
Thackeray's  family,  greatly  endearing  himself 
to  the  Head  Master  and  his  "pious,  charitable, 
and  in  every  way  exemplary  lady."  Thus 
David  Meade  described  her  over  half  a  century 
later.  He  adds  that  "  he  was  bound  to  them 
by  ties  much  stronger  than  those  of  nature,  in 
somuch  that  the  most  affecting  event  of  his 
whole  life  was  his  separation  from  them." 

What  more  likely  than  that  the  sayings  and 
doings  of  the  brace  of  colonists,  as  handsome 
as  they  were  spirited,  were  passed  down  the 
Thackeray  generations  until  they  lodged  in  the 
imagination  of  the  greatest  of  the  clan  ?  The 
tradition,  too  pleasing  to  be  lightly  discarded, 
is  the  more  plausible  for  the  circumstance  that 
Richard  Kidder  Meade  became  one  of  Wash 
ington's  aides  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
was,  in  private  life,  his  intimate  friend. 
Thackeray  could  hardly  have  overlooked  the 
association  of  the  names  in  his  quest  for 
material  for  The  Virginians. 

David  (2)  returned  to  Virginia  in  1761 
after  ten  years'  absence.  "  The  forests  and 
black  population  of  his  native  land  were  novel, 
but  not  by  any  means  pleasing  to  him,  and 
nothing  was  less  familiar  to  him  than  the  per- 


72         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

sons  of  the  individuals  of  his  family."  His 
sisters  were  married  ;  he  had  left  his  brothers, 
Richard  Kidder  and  Everard,  at  school  in 
England,  and  two  younger  children  born  in  his 


EVERARD   MEADE   (AGED   9). 

absence  would  not  be  companions  for  him  for 
a  long  while  to  come. 

In  the  ensuing  seven  years  he  saw  all  of 
"  life  "  —social  and  political — the  New  World 
had  to  offer  to  the  son  of  a  wealthy  father,  the 
brother-in-law  of  Richard  Randolph  of  Curies, 
and  the  near  neighbour  of  the  Byrds  of  West- 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  73 

over.  In  company  with  two  of  the  Randolphs 
he  visited  Philadelphia,  was  the  guest  of 
General  Gage  in  New  York,  sailed  up  the 
Hudson  to  Albany,  threaded  swamps  and 
forests  to  Saratoga  and  Lake  George,  was 
hospitably  entertained  at  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point,  and  so  on  to  Canada.  In  Mon 
treal,  Captain  Daniel  Claus,  (an  old  acquaint 
ance  to  the  readers  of  our  chapters  upon 
Johnson  Hall), 

"  son-in-law  of  Sir  William  Johnson  and  deputy-su 
perintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  invited  them  to  a  congress 
of  Indian  chiefs  from  several  nations  upon  the  lakes,  the 
town  being  then  full  of  Indians.  The  Intendant  in 
troduced  the  travellers  to  each  of  them  individually  as 
*  Brethren  of  the  Long  Knife,'  who  had  come  from  the 
South,  almost  a  thousand  miles,  to  visit  Canada. 
The  Intendant  [Claus],  after  the  ceremony  of  introducing 
the  Long  Knives,  or  Virginians,  opened  the  congress  with 
a  speech,  or  talk." 

The  tour  occupied  nearly  three  months  of 
the  year  1765. 

In  1768  David  (2)  Meade  married  Sarah 
Waters  of  Williamsburg,  and  the  same  year 
offered  himself  as  a  candidate  for  the  House 
of  Burgesses.  He  was  elected  and  took  his 
seat  in  May,  1 769,  although  feebly  convalescent 


74         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

from  a  recent  attack  of  illness.  The  session 
was  short  and  stormy. 

Ten  days  were  spent  in  debates  upon  the 
:subjects  at  issue  between  England  and  the 
Colonies,  and  the  passage  of  certain  resolutions 
:so  offensive  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  Lord 
Botetourt,  that  he  drove  in  vice-regal  state  to 
the  Capitol  and  dissolved  the  Assembly  in  an 
address  that  had  the  merits  of  conciseness  and 
comprehensiveness  : 

"  Gentlemen :  I  have  heard  of  your  re 
solves,  and  I  augur  their  ill  effects.  You  have 
made  it  my  duty  to  dissolve  you,  and  you  are 
.accordingly  dissolved." 

David  Meade,  "  completely  cured  of  his  am 
bition," — and  it  would  seem,  for  life, — settled 
down  at  Maycox  to  the  congenial  pursuits  of 
landscape  gardening  and  horticulture  and  the 
enjoyment  of  the  domestic  felicity  which  was 
his  from  the  day  of  his  bridal  until  death 
separated  the  married  lovers. 

The  curious  and  interesting  sketch  of  his  life 
written  in  the  third  person  by  himself,  which 
has  been  courteously  put  at  my  disposal  by  his 
great-grandson,  Dr.  M.  C.  Williams,  is  unsatis 
factory  only  when  it  deals  with  his  own  achieve 
ments  and  virtues.  It  is  amusing  to  read  that, 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  75 

of  the  various  branches  studied  by  him  during 
his  ten  years  of  English  schooling— 

'"  he  did  not  take  enough  away  to  impoverish  the 
Academy.  He  had  a  very  small  smattering  of  everything 
he  had  attempted  to  learn,  but  less  of  the  languages,  both 
dead  and  foreign,  than  of  the  sciences  and  the  elegant 
arts.  Thus,  but  ordinarily  qualified  for  the  humble  walks 
of  private  life,  and  without  natural  talents,  or  acquired 
knowledge,  to  move  with  any  credit  to  himself  in  public, 
he  left  England.  .  .  .  He  was  content  with  the 
very  little  that  was  his  due — the  extreme  humble  merit 
of  negative  virtues.  ...  He  was  a  great  builder  of 
•castles  in  the  air  ;  but  conscious,  as  he  was,  that  he  had 
neither  figure,  face,  nor  accomplishments  to  qualify 
him  for  an  epitome  of  a  romance  here,  he  prudently  de 
termined  to  fall  in  love  and  marry  somewhat  after  the 
fashion  of  the  people.  Nevertheless,  he  was  fastidious 
in  the  choice  of  his  subject." 

All  this  is  entertaining  when  we  bear  in 
mind  that  David  Meade  was  one  of  the  hand 
somest  and  most  accomplished  gentlemen  of 
his  generation — "  a  day  when,  in  the  class  to 
which  he  belonged,  culture  was  at  the  highest." 
It  is  tantalising,  even  vexatious,  that  he  puts 
himself  into  the  background  after  the  brief 
notice  of  his  marriage  and  the  purchase  of  May- 
cox,  and  devotes  many  pages  to  what  he  says 
was  ua  subject  much  more  interesting  to  the 
writer,"  the  countless  virtues,  personal  endow- 


/6         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ments  and  achievements  of  his  brother,  Richard 
Kidder.  As  has  been  noted,  Richard  Kidder 
was  on  Washington's  staff,  having  raised  a 
company  in  1776-77,  and  been  unanimously 
elected  as  its  captain.  He  fought  bravely 
throughout  the  war,  meeting  with  many  advent 
ures,  having  sundry  hairbreadth  escapes,  and 
receiving  signal  honours  from  the  Commander- 
in-chief  and  Congress.  After  the  arrest  of 
Andre,  Richard  Kidder  Meade  was  the  bearer 
of  a  letter  from  Washington  to  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  "  upon  the  subject  of  that  accom 
plished  officer's  case."  He  died  in  1781,  "be 
loved  by  all  who  were  acquainted  with  him, 
esteemed  and  respected  by  his  neighbours,  and 
every  one  that  had  ever  heard  of  his  worth." 

The  family  Annals  from  which  these  excerpts 
are  made  were  transcribed  in  characters  so 
minute  that  the  descendant  who  undertook  the 
pious  duty  of  copying  them  for  the  press,  was 
obliged  to  hold  a  magnify  ing-glass  in  one 
hand  while  writing  with  the  other.  The  vol 
ume  is  guarded  by  a  sort  of  trespass-board 
notice  upon  the  title-page  : 

"  It  is  to  be  noted  that  these  pages  are  not 
intended  for,  and  never  will  be  exposed  to, 
public  inspection,  and  are  intended  only  for 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  77 

the  amusement  and,  peradventure,  the  edifica 
tion  of  the  House  of  Meade." 

When  these  lines  were  penned,  he  had  lived 
for  thirty  years  in  "  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  in 
the  now  State  of  Kentucky,"  as  he  says,  "  hav 
ing  landed  with  a  numerous  family  from  boats 
at  Limestone,  now  Maysville,  and  permanently 
settled  at  the  headspring  of  Jessamine  Creek, 
a  lateral  branch  of  the  Kentucky  River." 

The  formidable  flitting  was  a  removal  for 
life.  The  tract  of  land  purchased  by  his  eldest 
son,  David  (3),  whom  the  father  had  sent  to 
Kentucky  "  to  prospect  "  some  months  before 
the  hegira  of  the  numerous  family,  was  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  "blue-grass  country,"  the 
garden-spot  of  the  stalwart  young  territory, 
old  Virginia's  favourite  daughter.  Reports  of 
the  fertility  of  unclaimed  fields,  irrigated  by 
clear  creeks,  of  virgin  forests  and  navigable 
rivers,  of  a  climate  at  once  mild  and  salubri 
ous — had  reached  the  Meade  dwelling  in  the 
midst  of  a  civilisation  more  than  a  century  and 
a  half  old,  and  attracted  them,  as  to  a  promised 
land  of  beauty  and  plenty. 

David  Meade  built  a  lodge,  afterwards  en 
larged  into  a  mansion,  near  the  centre  of  an 
extensive  plain,  shaded  at  intervals  by  clumps 


78         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  magnificent  sugar-maples,  and  forthwith  fell 
to  work  to  make  it  what  a  Meade  MS.  declares 
it  to  have  been, — "  the  first  lordly  home  in 
Kentucky."  Incidentally,  he  expended  upon 
the  enterprise  one-and-a-half  of  the  three  am 
ple  fortunes  of  which  he  was  possessed. 

One  hundred  acres  of  arable  land,  seeded 
down  with  the  famous  blue-grass,  then  shorn 
and  rolled  into  velvety  turf,  were  enclosed  by 
a  low  stone  wall,  masked  by  honeysuckles  and 
climbing  roses.  A  porter's  lodge  of  rough- 
hewn  stone  stood  at  the  gate  set  between  solid 
stone  pillars.  Upon  the  arch  above  the  gate 
was  cut  the  name  the  immigrant  had  bestowed 
upon  it, — Chaumitre  die  Prairie. 

The  French  title  gave  travelled  visitors  the 
motif  of  the  living  poem  embodied  in  the 
grounds.  Le  Petit  Trianon  was  evidently  an 
abiding  memory  and  suggestion  in  the  de 
signer's  thoughts.  The  serpentine  walk  and 
the  long  straight  alley,  bordered  by  large  trees, 
the  benches  set  at  irregular  intervals  along  the 
walks,  the  pavilion  in  an  embowered  nook,  the 
waterfall  and  lake,  the  artificial  island  and 
the  rustic  bridge  thrown  from  it  to  the  shore, 
the  Grecian  temple,  the  shaded  vistas  cool  with 
deep  green  shadows  and  solemn  with  silence,— 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  79- 

were  reminiscences,  not  of  terraced  Westover 
and  Maycox,  but  of  the  half-English  lad's  con 
tinental  travels.  Here,  at  least,  he  could 
''materialise"  one  of  the  castles  in  the  air  he 
was  fond  of  building. 

Colonel  Meade's  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Susan 
Creighton  Williams  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
wrote  out,  in  her  seventy-second  year,  her 
recollections  of  the  holiday-home  of  her  child 
hood.  The  pen-picture  reproduces  house  and 
pleasure-grounds  for  us  as  pencil  and  brush 
could  not.  I  regret  that  the  bounds  set  for 
this  chapter  will  not  allow  me  to  share  all  the 
graphic  details  of  the  goodly  scene  with  my 
readers.  Landscape  and  atmosphere  are  Ar 
cadian,  not  the  crude  product  of  a  newly  made 
"settlement." 

"  The  House,"  we  read,  "  was  what  might  be  called 
a  villa, — covering  a  great  deal  of  ground,  built  in  an  ir 
regular  style,  of  various  materials — wood,  stone,  brick, 
— and  one  mud  room,  which,  by  the  way>  was  quite  a 
pretty,  tasteful  spare  bedroom.  The  part  composed  of 
brick  was  a  large  octagon  drawing-room.  The  dining- 
hall  was  a  large,  square  room,  wainscoated  with  black 
walnut,  with  very  deep  window-seats,  where  we  children 
used  sometimes  to  hide  ourselves  behind  the  heavy  cur 
tains.  There  was  one  large,  square  hall,  and  numerous 
passageways,  lobbies,  areas,  etc.  .  .  .  The  bird-cage 


8o         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

walk  was  one  cut  through  a  dense  plum  thicket,  entirely 
excluding  the  sun.  It  led  to  a  dell  where  was  a  spring 
of  the  best  water,  and  near  by  was  the  mouth  of  a  cave 
which  had  some  little  notoriety.  .  .  .  Beyond  the  lawn 
there  was  a  large  piece  of  ground  which  Mr.  Meade  al 
ways  said  ought  to  have  been  a  sheet  of  water  to  make 
his  grounds  perfect.  This  was  sown  in  clover  that  it 
might,  as  he  thought,  somewhat  resemble  water  in  ap 
pearance.  In  one  of  our  summer  sojourns  in  Chaumiere, 
when  my  sister  Julia  (Mrs.  Ball)  was  about  three  years 
of  age,  soon  after  our  arrival  the  nurse  took  her  out  upon 
the  lawn,  where  she  shrank  back  and  cried  out '  Oh,  river  ! 
river  !  '  greatly  to  our  grandfather's  delight.  He  said  it 
was  the  greatest  compliment  his  grounds  had  ever  had." 

The  ingenious  conceit  was  characteristic  of 
the  planter-dreamer  and  born  artist.  His 
aesthetic  sense  demanded  the  shimmer  of  water 
at  that  point  of  the  verdant  level,  flanked  by 
groups  of  sugar-maples.  In  the  summer  sun 
shine  the  tremulous  expanse  of  silver-lined 
leaves  supplied  the  ripple  and  gleam  required 
"to  make  his  grounds  perfect." 

As  the  "  dark  and  bloody  ground "  ex 
changed  her  solitary  wilds  for  cultured  fields 
and  fast-growing  towns,  Chaumiere  became 
the  show-place  of  the  State.  Lexington  was 
but  nine  miles  distant,  and  no  personage  of 
political  or  social  consequence  visited  the 
lively  little  place  without  driving  out  to  the 


MRS.    SARAH    WATERS    MEADE. 

FROM    PAINTING    IN     POSSESSION    OF    L.    P.    WILLIAMS,     ESQ.,     OF    NEW    YORK. 
81 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  83 

hospitable  country-seat  of  the  Meades.  There 
were  house-parties  especially  invited,  who  were 
domiciliated  for  a  week  or  fortnight  at  a  time, 
making  excursions  through  the  beautiful  sur 
rounding  country,  feasting,  dancing,  gathering 
in  the  great  " stone  passage"  in  the  purple 
twilight  for  tea-drinking  and  chat,  and  watch 
ing  the  shadows  steal  over  the  paradise  visible 
through  front  and  back  doors,  while  Mrs. 
Meade  sat  at  the  pianoforte  in  the  adjoining 
drawing-room.  She  played  with  exquisite 
taste  and  feeling  until  she  was  long  past  three- 
score-and-ten.  The  octagon  drawing-room 
was  all  draped  with  satin  brocade — the  walls, 
the  windows,  and  the  frames  of  the  four  tall 
mirrors  reaching  from  floor  to  ceiling. 

It  saw  much  and  distinguished  company 
during  the  forty  years'  residence  and  reign  of 
the  fine  old  Virginia  and  Kentucky  gentleman. 
Four  Presidents  of  the  United  States — Thomas 
Jefferson,  James  Monroe,  Andrew  Jackson,  and 
Zachary  Taylor — were  entertained  here.  The 
lady  of  the  manor, — "always  dressed  in  black 
satin,  to  which  were  added  handsome  lace  and 
embroideries  upon  occasion," — stately  and 
beautiful  in  the  standing  ruff  and  high-crowned 
cap  of  bygone  years,  had  her  favourites  among 


84         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  celebrities.  We  are  surprised  to  learn  that 
she  considered  General  Jackson  the  most  re 
markable  man  she  had  ever  known,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  Aaron  Burr.  She  used 
to  relate  to  her  listening  grandchildren  what 
an  imposing  figure  he  was,  as,  sitting  tall  and 
straight  upon  his  charger,  he  cantered  up  the 
avenue  to  the  porch  of  Chaumiere.  Host  and 
hostess  were  waiting  there  to  greet  the  hero 
of  New  Orleans. 

Colonel  Meade,  like  his  wife,  had  made  no 
change  in  the  fashion  of  his  attire  for  half  a 
century.  Coat,  short  breeches,  and  the  long 
waistcoat  reaching  to  his  hips,  were  of  light 
drab  cloth.  His  white  or  black  silk  stockings 
were  held  up  by  jewelled  knee-buckles  and 
a  similar  pair  adorned  his  low  shoes.  The 
buttons  of  coat  and  waistcoat  were  silver, 
stamped  with  the  Meade  crest.  The  same 
insignia  appeared  upon  the  massive  silver  serv 
ice  used  upon  the  table  every  day  whether 
there  were  company  in  the  house  or  not. 
Mrs.  Meade's  piano  was  the  first  brought  to 
Kentucky.  Certain  handsome  pieces  of  furni 
ture  were  heirlooms  from  English  houses— 
notably  from  the  Palace  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
an  inheritance  from  the  Kidder  who  was  once 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  85 

Bishop  of  that  See.  Another  valued  relic  was 
a  souvenir  of  the  Irish  Roman  Catholic  Meade 
whose  services  for  the  Church  were  recognised 
by  the  gift  of  a  crucifix  of  ebony  and  ivory  pre 
sented  by  the  then  reigning  Pontiff.  A  gold 
medal  dependent  from  the  crucifix  bore  a  Latin 
inscription  said  to  have  been  composed  by 
Charles  V.,  Emperor  of  Spain  and  Germany. 
The  dining-room  buffets  bore  marvellous  treas 
ures  of  cut-glass  and  porcelain,  in  such  abund 
ance  as  to  set  out  tables  for  one  hundred  guests, 
once  and  again. 

That  number  sat  down  on  Christmas  Day, 
1818,  to  an  entertainment  which,  writes  one  of 
the  guests, 

"  in  management,  in  simplicity  of  style,  and  without  the 
least  ostentation,  though  all  the  surroundings  were  pro 
fusely  rich — surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  I  have  ever 
witnessed.  .  .  .  The  magnificent  rooms  are  furnished 
with  taste  and  consummate  art,  and  there  was  an  exhibi 
tion  of  surpassing  brilliancy  produced  without  any  ap 
parent  attempt." 

Another  guest,  a  college  president,  says  of  a 
visit  paid  to  the  Meades  earlier  in  the  same 
year  : 

"  Col.  Meade  is  entirely  a  man  of  leisure,  never  having 
followed  any  business,  and  never  using  his  fortune  but 


86         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

in  adorning  his  place  and  entertaining  friends  and  strang 
ers.  No  word  is  ever  sent  to  him  that  company  is  com 
ing.  To  do  so  offends  him.  But  a  dinner  at  the  hour 

O 

of  four  is  always  ready  for  visitors,  and  servants  are 
always  in  waiting.  Twenty  of  us  went  one  day  without 
warning,  and  were  entertained  luxuriously  on  the  viands 
of  the  country.  Our  drinks  consisted  of  beer  and  wine. 
He  does  not  allow  cigars  to  be  smoked  on  his  premises." 

The  fact  noted  in  the  last  sentence  is  unex 
pected.  The  most  fastidious  gentlemen  in 
America  were  confirmed  smokers,  and  the  cul 
tivation  and  exportation  of  tobacco  contributed 
more  largely  to  the  wealth  of  Virginia  and  cer 
tain  parts  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  than 
any  other  industry.  Of  Blairs,  Breckinridges, 
Marshalls,  Floyds,  Scotts,  Leighs,  Routledges, 
Clays,  presidents  of  universities,  and  presi 
dents  of  the  United  States  who  were  made 
welcome  in  turn  to  the  lordly  homestead,  four 
out  of  five  must  have  been  lovers  of  what 
William  Evelyn  Byrd  has  taught  us  to  call 
"  the  bewitching  vegetable."  Colonel  Meade's 
aversion  to  the  practices  of  smoking  and  chew 
ing  is  referable  to  the  punctilious  neatness 
which  was  first  and  second  nature  with  him. 
Not  a  fallen  leaf  or  twig  was  suffered  to  litter 
the  velvet  turf.  Every  day  a  company  of  small 
negroes  was  detailed  for  the  duty  of  picking 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  87 

up  such  leaves  and  sticks  as  had  fallen  during 
the  night,  and  the  master  often  supervised  the 
work. 

A  lineal  descendant  gives  a  vivacious  ac 
count  of  some  manifestations  of  Colonel 
Meade's  exceeding  strictness  in  the  matters  of 
order  and  cleanliness.  Among  other  illustra 
tions  we  have  this  pretty  picture  : 

"  The  mulberries  of  that  day  and  place  were  of  a  much 
finer  quality,  much  larger,  and  more  fruity  than  of  the 
present.  Troops  of  boarding-school  girls  from  Lexing 
ton  would  come  out  to  this  enchanting  place,  and  when 
they  sought  mulberries,  Colonel  Meade  would  have  serv 
ants  detailed  to  shake  them  from  the  trees.  Out  of  re 
gard  for  the  white  dresses  (with  blue  sashes,  perchance 
— bless  them  !)  of  the  maiden  of  that  time,  his  instruc 
tions  were  that  the  berries  were  to  be  picked  up,  com 
mencing  at  the  outer  edge  of  their  fall.  Treading  them 
into  the  grass  was  unpardonable.  How  the  old  gentle 
man  of  the  old  school  would  flame  up  with  an  amiable 
oath  when  this  order  was  transgressed  !  Beneath  the 
fruit-trees  was  as  clean  and  neat  as  any  part  of  the  lawn." 

Yet  we  read  that  "  kindliness  was  a  feature 
of  his  exalted  nature."  A  common  and  beauti 
ful  custom  of  the  region  was  that  the  negroes, 
for  miles  around,  came  to  be  married  in  the 
Chaumiere  grounds.  The  master  was  indig 
nant  with  the  low-bred  white  who  stole  into 


88         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  gardens  or  groves  by  some  other  way  than 
the  great  gateway  that  "  stood  open  night  and 
day."  "  Courteous  to  all,  he  exacted  courtesy 
from  others.  He  had  great  respect  for  the 
courteous  negro  of  the  old  time." 

The  negro  of  any  time  is  an  imitative  an 
imal.  The  Meade  servants  caught  their  own 
er's  tone  and  bearing  with  almost  ludicrous 
fidelity.  Henry  Clay  was  a  frequent  visitor  at 
Chaumiere,  and  was  put  upon  his  mettle — with 
all  the  perfection  of  his  breeding — not  to  be 
outdone  in  grace  and  suavity  by  Dean,  the 
chief  butler.  This  high  functionary,  with  his 
five  subordinate  footmen  and  the  coachman, 
wore  drab  liveries  with  silver  buttons  and 
shoe-buckles. 

Such  was  the  parental  and  judicious  care 
exercised  over  the  coloured  members  of  "the 
family,"  that  during  the  long  lifetime  of  Colo 
nel  Meade  not  one  case  of  fatal  illness  oc 
curred  on  the  estate. 

David  Meade  (3)  was  a  school-friend  of 
Aaron  Burr,  and  after  the  latter  was  put  under 
arrest  and  surveillance  for  the  Blennerhassett 
treason  Colonel  Meade's  influence  with  the 
state  authorities  obtained  permission  for  the 
suspected  man  to  spend  three  weeks  at  Chau- 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  89 

miere,  the  Colonel's  son  pledging  himself  for 
his  safe-keeping.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
confederate  and  dupe,  Blennerhassett.  The 
two  were  among  the  witnesses  of  the  marriage 
of  Elizabeth  Meade  to  Judge  Creighton  of 
Chillicothe,  Ohio  ;  also  of  the  baptism  of  a 
granddaughter,  Elizabeth  Massie.  This  child 
became  Mrs.  W.  L.  Thompson  of  "  Sycamore," 
near  Louisville,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
Kentucky  homes. 

The  damask  table-cloth  used  at  the  wedding 
feast,  to  which  Burr  and  Blennerhassett  sat 
down,  is  still  treasured  in  the  family. 

Another  of  the  granddaughters,  Mrs.  Anna 
Meade  Letcher,  has  a  story  of  a  yet  more  val 
uable  memento  of  the  memorable  visit  paid  to 
Chaumiere  by  the  conspirators  : 

"  There  is  in  the  family  a  very  antique  mirror  before 
which  Aaron  Burr  sat,  and  had  his  hair  powdered,  and  his 
queue  arranged  to  suit  his  vain  and  fastidious  taste,  before 
entering  the  drawing-room  to  use  all  his  artful  fascina 
tions  upon  the  ladies,  whether  handsome  or  homely,  young 
or  old,  bright  and  entertaining,  or  dull.  He  never  forgot 
his  policy  to  charm  and  beguile  all  who  came  into  his 
presence." 

Colonel  Meade  had  passed  from  the  home 
he  had  made  an  Eden  to  the  fairer  Land 


90         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

whither  his  devoted  wife  had  preceded  him  by 
six  months  of  earthly  time,  when  Edward 
Everett  paid  a  visit  to  Chaumiere.  Mrs. 
Letcher's  mother,  then  a  young  girl,  rowed 
him  across  the  miniature  lake  in  her  boat, 
"  Ellen  Douglas."  The  high-bred  gentleman 
paid  a  graceful  compliment  to  the  "  Lady  of 
the  Lake,"  a  sobriquet  she  retained  until  her 


marriage. 


"  Mr.  Everett  had  just  returned  from  a  long 
stay  abroad,  where  he  had  become  quite  a 
connoisseur  in  art,"  says  Mrs.  Letcher,  "  and 
he  pronounced  the  art-collection  of  Chaumiere, 
'though  small,  equal  in  merit  to  any  he  had 
seen  abroad." 

This  comprised  family  portraits  by  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  Hudson,  the  Sullys,  and  other  artists 
of  international  reputation.  Some  are  still 
treasured  intelligently  and  reverently  in  the 
family  connexion.  Others  passed,  after  the 
sale  of  the  homestead,  into  less  tender  hands. 
An  anecdote  whispered  among  the  descendants 
of  the  superb  old  patrician  has  to  do  with  the 
atrocious  desecration  of  one  historic  canvas  to 
the  ignominy  of  covering  a  meal-barrel,  until  it 
was  fairly  worn  out  with  much  using. 

Colonel  Meade  was  ninety-four  years  of  age 


COLONEL    DAVID    MEADE     AT   THE    AGE    OF   85. 

FROM    PAINTING    IN     POSSESSION    OF    E.     P.     WILLIAMS,     ESQ.,    OF    NEW    YORK. 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  93 

when  he  died.  His  son  David  (3)  had  not 
lived  to  see  his  thirtieth  year.  His  father  had 
borne  the  terrible  blow  to  love,  pride,  and  hope 
with  fortitude  amazing  to  all  but  those  who 
knew  him  best.  Not  even  to  them  did  he 
speak  of  what  the  death  of  his  noble  boy  was 
to  him.  Everything  was  to  have  been  David's, 
— "  Chaumiere,  paintings,  and  other  works  of 
art — the  magnificent  silver  plate,  the  trained 
house-servants  and  gardeners."  When  his  will 
was  opened  it  was  found  that  he  left  it  with 
his  surviving  children  to  divide  the  property  as 
they  deemed  best.  The  sole  proviso  was  that 
Chaumiere  should  be  kept  as  he  had  made  it 
for  three  years.  "  Dean  "  and  other  favourite 
servants  were  manumitted  by  the  master's  will. 
In  a  charming  letter  from  Mrs.  Letcher,  we 
have  the  rest  of  the  story  told  in  simple,  grace 
ful  wise,  upon  which  I  cannot  improve  : 

"  The  daughters  had  married,  and  my  mother's  mother, 
Mrs.  Charles  Willing  Byrd,  had  died  years  before,  and 
none  of  the  family  feeling  able  to  keep  up  the  place,  it 
was  thought  best  to  sell  it.  But  it  seemed  to  entail 
fatality  in  one  way  or  another  upon  those  who  have 
owned  it  since. 

The  Colonel  was  a  philosopher  of  philosophers,  and  as 
my  father  and  mother  said,  submitted  with  both  dignity 
.and  grace  to  the  inevitable.  He  never  was  known  to 


94 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


make  complaint,  but  bore  every  trial  with  Spartan  courage 
and  serenity — so  the  oft-told  story  that  he  pronounced  a 
curse  upon  the  home  should  it  pass  from  the  family,  has. 
no  truth  for  foundation — 'though  believed  by  many  of 
the  superstitious  from  that  day  to  this." 

"  There  have  been  many  ghost  stories,  but  none  that 


WINQ  OF  CHAUMIERE  LEFT  STANDING  IN  1850. 


were  horrible,  only  of  pleasant  things  that  the  old  serv 
ants  and  housekeeper  and  the  superstitious  around 
would  see  and  hear.  The  housekeeper  came  from  Vir 
ginia  with  Col.  Meade,  and  was  one  of  the  most  interest 
ing  members  of  that  large  household.  She  lived  to  be 
nearly  a  century  old,  and  I  remember  her  when  I  was  a. 
small  child.  She  was  devoted  to  my  mother  and  stayed 
with  her  ;  her  name  was  Betsy  Miller,  and  Col.  Meade 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie  95 

knew  her  to  be  descended  from  the  Stuarts  of  Scotland 
who  came  to  Virginia  after  the  flight  and  exile  of  Charles 
the  Second.  She  and  the  servants  often  saw  Col.  Meade- 
and  others  of  the  family  who  had  passed  away,  strolling 
in  the  grounds  ;  in  the  hedged  serpentine  walk,  which 
wound  around  the  grounds  three  miles,  or  rowing  on  the 
lake,  or  sitting,  reading  in  a  summer-house  under  bowers 
of  honeysuckle  and  running  roses — then,  at  sunset  he 
would  be  seen  wending  his  way  up  the  winding  walk  to 
the  *  octagon  hall '  where  tea  was  served  in  summer. — 
These  and  many  other  stories  I  eagerly  drank  in,  in  my 
childhood,  and  often,  too,  when  with  Betsy  and  the  serv 
ants  who  took  her  to  the  grounds  when  she  was  too 
feeble  to  go  alone,  I  imagined  /  saw  my  grandfather 
and  others,  as  they  did. 

"  On  the  day  of  the  sale  a  large  crowd  collected  to 
hear  lovely  '  Chaumiere '  cried  off  to  a  coarse,  vulgar 
man.  So  surprised  and  indignant  was  everyone  that  a. 
murmur  of  disapproval  was  heard,  and  soon  after  was 
seen  in  large  letters  on  the  pleasure-houses  all  through 
the  grounds — Paradise  Lost.  This  so  enraged  the  pur 
chaser  that  he  determined  to  make  these  words  true.  In 
less  than  a  week  the  beautiful  grounds  were  filled  with 
horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  filthy  swine.  He  felled  the 
finest  trees  in  the  grounds  and  park,  cut  down  the 
hedges — in  fine,  committed  such  vandalism  as  has  never 
been  heard  of  in  this  country.  He  pulled  down  some 
of  the  prettiest  rooms  in  the  house,  stored  grain  in  others 
and  made  ruins  of  all  the  handsome  pleasure-houses  and 
bridges  through  the  grounds.  He  only  kept  the  place 
long  enough  to  destroy  it. 

"  The  next  purchaser  found  Chaumiere  but  a  wreck  of 


96 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


beauty.  It  seems  as  if  Providence  decreed  that  the  glory 
of  the  beloved  beautiful  old  '  Chaumiere '  should  depart 
with  the  name  of  '  Meade.'  ': 

All  that  remained  to  the  "  next  purchaser  " 
aforesaid  was  the  octagon  drawing-room  given 
in  our  picture,  the  hall,  and  heaps  of  founda 
tion-stones  where 
once  arose  the  most 
lordly  part  of  the 
noble  pile. 

Even  these  have 
been  swept  away 
within  the  last  quar 
ter-century  ;  all  the 
pleasant  places  born 
of  the  brain  of  the 
founder  and  matured  into  beauty  by  his  taste 
and  wealth,  are  laid  waste.  Small  wonder  is  it 
that  the  story  of  the  curse  pronounced  upon 
the  place,  should  it  ever  pass  into  alien  hands, 
should  go  hand-in-hand  with  the  marvellous 
tales  of  departed  splendours. 

NOTE. — An  interesting  legend  of  the  Meade  family  is 
connected  with  the  chained  falcons  seen  in  the  coat  of 
arms  given  herewith. 

According  to  this,  a  pair  of  these  birds, — foreign  to 
this  region, — built  a  nest  upon  a  crag  overlooking  the  sea 


MEADE  COAT  OF  ARMS. 


La  Chaumiere  du  Prairie 


97 


in  a  lonely  quarter  of  the  Meade  estate.  Two  boys  of 
the  house  discovered  the  nest  and,  to  make  sure  of  the 
young  birds  when  they  should  be  hatched,  ensnared  the 
old  ones  with  light  chains.  The  prize  was  forgotten  for 
some  days,  and  when  the  thoughtless  lads  revisited  the 
crag,  they  found  the  parent  birds  dead  of  starvation. 
The  callow  nestlings  were  alive,  having  been  nourished 
by  father  and  mother  upon  blood  drained  from  their 
own  hearts. 


IV 


MORVEN,    THE  STOCKTON  HOMESTEAD, 
PRINCETON,  NEW  JERSEY 

IN  the  parish  register  of  Cookham,  Berkshire, 
England,  are  recorded  the  births  and 
deaths  of  several  generations  of  Washingtons 
and  Balls,  the  lineal  ancestors  of  the  man  who 
gave  independent  being  to  this  nation.  From 
the  established  fact  that  Augustine  Washing 
ton  visited  England  in  1729,  to  arrange  for 
the  transfer  of  British  property  to  which 
he  had  fallen  heir,  and  the  almost  certainty 
that  he  then  and  there  met  and  married  Amer 
ican-born  Mary  Ball, — a  sojourner,  like  him 
self,  in  the  fatherland, — some  writers  assume 
that  their  son  George  first  saw  the  light  in 
English  Berkshire. 

The  hypothesis  is  summarily  disposed  of  by 
our    first     President's    written     declaration,— 
George,  eldest  son  of  Augustine,  by  the  second 

98 


Morven  99 

marriage,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  County 
(  Virginia)  ye  nth  Day  of  February,  173% . 

John  Washington,  the  great-grandfather  of 
George,  was  one  of  the  malcontent  loyalists 
who  could  not  breathe  in  the  raw  air  of  the 
Protectorate.  In  1657,  he  sailed,  with  his 
brother  Lawrence,  for  the  still  loyal  Old  Do 
minion,  and  founded  a  new  family  home  in 
Westmoreland  on  the  Potomac  River. 

One  of  the  unexpected  coincidences  that 
leap  out  at  us, — as  from  hiding  between  the 
pages  of  the  history  we  believed  was  familiar 
to  us  long  ago,  and  which  have,  henceforth, 
the  vividness  of  current  events,  bringing  us 
face  to  face  with  old  acquaintances,  ranging 
side  by  side  people  we  have  never  until  now 
linked  in  our  thoughts, — is  that  which  syn 
chronises  John  Washington's  emigration  from 
Great  Britain  to  America  with  that  of  Richard 
Stockton.  A  backward  glance  along  the  an 
cestral  line  of  the  Stocktons  carries  the  in 
teresting  parallel  into  a  yet  more  venerable 
past.  In  the  Cookham  Parish  church  (per 
haps  the  same  in  which  Augustine  Washington 
was,  four  centuries  thereafter,  to  espouse  the 
blue-eyed  Virginia  girl)  is  an  age-battered 
stone  : 


ioo        More  Colonial  Homesteads 


xrf  #je 


at  mi* 


at 


Sir  Edward's  forbears  were  "  anciently  Lords 
of  the  Manor  of  Stockton,  which  they  held 
under  the  Barony  of  Malpas,  in  the  County  of 
Cheshire.  David  de  Stockton  inherited  the 
Manor  of  Stockton  from  his  father  about  the 
year  1250,  in  the  reign  of  King  Henry  the 
Third."  1 

From  the  many  mu 
ral  memorials  of  the 
race  still  extant  in  Eng 
land,  I  select  an  old 
Latin  epitaph  upon  a 
brass  plate  in  Malpas 
church,  set  above  the 
dust  of  "  Owen  Stock 
ton,  Gentleman."  A 
clumsy  translation  runs 
—  or  stumbles  —  after 
this  wise  : 


a  mxrst 
laid 


STOCKTON  COAT-OF-ARMS. 


1ft* 


"Q,  Stjcrjc^itxrnusf 
mute*  xrf 
matfrle, 

1  History  of  the  Stockton  Family,  by  John  W.  Stockton. 


Morven  101 


mij 

(the  term  of  his  widowerhood),  "  0f  at* 

rjeptttalfjcw,  s#jes  rojj  0ffs:p*iix0 
rajj  t  atftje*  tf  jeatf  , 

"  ||je:pa*tin0f  g  foatrje  Jjef  t  fejeltitt^  twje  as  raamj 
tjeavs  as  tlxjow^lx  pjeajcje  tuje^je  atrxrtit  10 

(the  earth). 

44  g  0fetattx   tltje  ^rv0mtsje^  vcwav^   ttt 


s0txf  wjett*&0im,  Ixas  jevjejctM  tlxts  10 
the 


Four  years  anterior  to  the  demise  of  Owen 
Stockton,  Gentleman,  his  grandson  Richard, 
"the  sonne  of  John  Stockton  of  the  Parish  of 
Malpas,"  was  baptised  in  the  Parish  church. 

This  Richard  (I.)  was  thirty-seven  years  old 
when  John,  his  father,  died  in  1643.  This 
would  make  him  a  man  of  fifty  when,  like  the 
Washington  brothers,  he  found  longer  resid 
ence  in  Cromwell-ridden  England  unsafe  or 
unpleasant,  —  most  likely  both,  —  and  embarked 
with  his  wife  and  children  for  a  freer  country. 
He  landed  in  New  York  in  1657  or  1658. 

A  portion  of  the  ample  fortune  he  contrived 
to  bring  away  with  him  was  invested  in  Long 
Island,  then  in  New  Jersey,  lands.  A  tract 
over  two  miles  in  length  and  one  in  width,  in 


102         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Burlington  County,  was  divided  at  his  death 
between  his  three  sons,  Richard,  John,  and  Job. 

Richard  (II.)  Stockton  was  a  man  grown  at 
the  date  of  emigration,  and  so  much  his  own 
master,  when  his  father  removed  from  Long 
Island  to  Burlington,  as  to  act  upon  his  pre 
ference  for  a  separate  residence  in  another 
part  of  the  State.  He  lived  for  a  short  time  at 
Piscataway,  settling  subsequently  upon  a  tract 
of  six  thousand  acres  of  farming  lands  bought 
from  William  Penn,  and  nearer  the  north 
ern  part  of  the  to-be  State  of  New  Jersey.  He 
called  the  immense  plantation  "  Stony  Brook," 
and  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  redeeming 
it  from  its  native  wildness.  Collecting  around 
him  a  colony  of  fellow  exiles,  he  set  about 
felling  forests,  clearing,  draining,  and  cultivat 
ing  level  reaches  of  virgin  meadows,  and  erect 
ing  comfortable  houses  for  the  occupancy  of 
European  families. 

Until  he  and  his  associates  broke  ground  for 
the  settlement  afterward  renamed  "  Princeton," 
no  white  man  had  invaded  the  wilderness.  The 
axe  of  the  explorer  had  never  disturbed  the 
brooding  stillness  of  the  primeval  forest ;  not 
a  foot  of  the  soil  had  had  any  other  owner  than 
the  nomads  who  called  the  continent  their  free- 


Morven  103 

hold.     Richard  Stockton's  active  pioneer  life 
came  to  a  close  in  1 709. 

In  the  partition  of  what  was,  by  now,  a  valu 
able  estate,  he  devised  the  house  he  had  built 
late  in  life  as  a  homestead  to  his  fifth  and  ap 
parently  his  favourite  child,  John.  This  viola 
tion  of  the  laws  of  primogeniture  threw  his 
eldest  and  name-son  Richard  (III.)  out  of  the 
natural  order  of  succession.  We  note,  further 
more,  with  unsatisfied  curiosity,  that  the 
slighted  Richard  received  but  three  hundred 
acres  of  land,  while  each  of  the  juniors  had 
five  hundred.  Tradition  is  silent  as  to  the 
young  man's  offence,  and  his  deportment  under 
what,  to  one  of  English  birth  and  prejudices, 
was  a  more  grievous  cross  than  we,  with  our 
free-and-easy  Republican  notions,  can  fully  ap 
preciate.  With  true  feminine  (and  illogical) 
partisanship  of  the  child  of  "  whose  nose  a 
bridge  was  made," — to  borrow  a  folk-phrase,— 
I  decline  to  pass  over  Richard  Desdichado  in 
the  enumeration  of  the  Stocktons  who  bore  the 
Christian  name  more  or  less  worthily.  What 
ever  may  have  been  his  deficiencies,  mental, 
moral,  or  spiritual — he  stands  in  this  humble 
chronicle  as  Richard  III. 

His  mother,  Mrs.   Susannah  Stockton,  had 


104        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  the  use  of  the  house  and  improvements  dur 
ing  her  natural  life,  with  the  use  of  all  the 
negro  slaves  except  Daniel,"  who  was  be 
queathed  to  the  testator's  brother-in-law, 
Philip  Phillips.  "  Each  of  his  sons,  as  he 
came  of  age,  was  to  have  a  slave." 

However  warm  may  be  our  sympathies  with 
Desdichado,  we  must  admit  that  John  Stock 
ton's  character  and  career  amply  justified  his 
father's  choice  of  a  successor  in  the  proprietor 
ship  of  the  homestead  and  all  pertaining 
thereto.  No  early  citizen  of  New  Jersey  exer 
cised  a  more  marked  and  wholesome  influence 
upon  her  history  then  in  making.  He  was,  by 
Royal  appointment,  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  ;  when  the  project  of  founding 
a  university  of  learning  within  the  precincts  of 
the  State  was  bruited,  he  wrought  with  pen, 
tongue,  and  fortune  to  secure  the  establishment 
of  the  same  at  Princeton,  eventually  succeed 
ing  in  the  effort.  As  an  elder  in  the  infant 
Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Colonies,  he  was 
a  power  as  well  as  a  blessing. 

Each  of  the  eight  children  who  survived  him 
was  an  honour  to  the  father,  and  to  the  woman 
who  was  his  partner  in  every  worthy  deed. 
In  1729,  he  had  married  Miss  Abigail  Phillips, 


Morven  105 

of  whom  we  have  little  information  u  except 
that  she  was  a  devoted  Presbyterian,"  says  our 
chronicler.  Four  sons  and  as  many  daughters 
lived  out  her  unwritten  biography.  Presby 
terian  Princeton  owes  more  than  has  been  set 
down  in  her  annals  to  her  ministry  to  him  who 
stood  confessed  in  his  generation  as  the  best 
friend  and  ablest  counsellor  of  Church  and 
College. 

John  Stockton's  daughter,  Hannah,  married 
the  Honorable  Elias  Boudinot,  a  name  of  dis 
tinction  in  state  and  national  history  :  Abigail 
became  the  wife  of  Captain  Pintard,  her  sister 
Susannah  wedding  his  brother  Louis.  Rebecca 
married  Rev.  William  Tennent  of  Monmouth 
County,  a  man  eminent  for  piety  and  eloquence. 
His  extraordinary  return  to  life  and  conscious 
ness  after  a  trance  of  four  days'  duration,  phy 
sicians  and  friends  supposing  him  to  be  dead, 
is  one  of  the  noteworthy  psychological  phe 
nomena  of  the  last  century. 

To  Richard  (IV.),  eldest  son  of  John,  was 
left  the  Princeton  homestead  with  the  surround 
ing  plantation.  John,  the  second  son,  entered 
the  Royal  Navy,  rose  rapidly  to  the  rank  of 
Captain,  with  the  command  of  a  vessel,  and 
died  at  sea  at  a  comparatively  early  age. 


io6        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  third  son,  Philip,  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1778, 
and  presumably  engaged  in  the  active  duties  of 
his  profession  in  the  vicinity  of  Princeton,  as  he 
bought  "Castle  Howard"  in  that  town  about 
1785,  and  made  it  his  permanent  residence. 

Next  to  Richard  the  Heir,  Samuel  Witham 
Stockton,  the  youngest  of  the  four  sons,  has 
left  the  most  brilliant  record.  He  was  gradu 
ated  at  Nassau  Hall  in  1767,  and  in  1774  was 
sent  to  the  Courts  of  Russia  and  Austria  as 
Secretary  of  the  American  Commission.  He 
acted  as  Secretary  of  the  New  Jersey  Conven 
tion  called  in  1787  to  ratify  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  in  1 794  was  made  Secre 
tary  of  State  in  New  Jersey,  He  was  killed, 
a  year  afterwards,  by  a  fall  from  his  carriage. 

When  Richard,  of  the  fourth  generation  of 
American  Stocktons,  came  to  his  New  Jersey 
principality  in  1757,  he  was  in  the  very  prime 
of  early  and  vigorous  manhood.  He  had  been 
admitted  to  the  Bar  three  years  earlier  and 
about  the  same  time  married  Anice  Boudinot, 
sister  of  his  brother-in-law,  the  Honourable 
Elias  Boudinot,  a  double  alliance  that  linked 
two  chief  families  of  the  future  Commonwealth 
together  as  with  hooks  of  tempered  steel. 


Morven 


107 


Mrs.  Stockton  was  a  striking  feature  in  the 
best  society  of  her  times.  From  her  French 
ancestors  she  inherited  her  brunette  beauty 
and  the  vivacity  of  speech  and  manner  that 
.made  her  companionship  a  continual  charm.  To 


ANICE   STOCKTON. 

FROM  ORIGINAL  PORTRAIT  IN  POSSESSION  OF  MRS.  MCGILL. 

none  of  her  friends  and  admirers  was  she  more 
bewitching  than  to  the  lover-husband.  The 
poetic  ardour  of  a  courtship  conducted  in  the 
most  approved  style  of  a  romantic  age,  was 


io8        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

never  abated  by  time  and  intimate  association. 
Their  married  life  was  the  prettiest  of  pastorals, 
in  the  midst  of  gayeties,  and  in  the  thick  of 
later  storms.  As  long  as  they  both  lived,  they 
used  in  their  private  correspondence  the  noms 
de  plume  assumed  when,  as  lovers,  they  wrote 
poems  dedicated  to  one  another.  Mrs.  Stock 
ton  preferred  "  Emilia"  to  her  own  quaint  and 
sweeter  appellation,  and  her  Richard  was  "  Lu 
cius."  It  was  a  fashion  of  times  more  artificial 
than  ours  when  the  language  of  pen  and  tongue 
was  more  ornate  than  our  realistic  speech.  The 
custom,  affected  and  fantastic  in  the  abstract, 
steals  a  mellowed  grace  from  age  and  the  de 
tails  of  a  life-long  love-story. 

The  homestead  erected  by  Richard  the 
Second  was  a  commodious  and  highly  respect 
able  family  residence  under  the  management 
of  Judge  John  Stockton.  John's  son  Richard, 
aided  by  the  exquisite  taste  of  his  "  Emilia," 
made  mansion  and  grounds  the  most  beautiful 
in  the  State.  Until  "  Emilia  "  became  mistress, 
of  the  fair  domain  it  was  known  as  "  the  Stock 
ton  Place," — sometimes  as  "  Constitution  Hill"; 
the  name  applied  to  a  large  tract  of  rolling  land, 
including  the  homestead  grounds.  Mrs.  Rich 
ard  Stockton  gave  it  the  name  it  now  bears. 


Morven  109 

Ossian's  Poems  were  just  then  the  rage  in 
the  English  reading-world.  Macpherson  had 
set  Scotch  reviewers  by  the  ears,  and  infuriated 
Dr.  Johnston  to  a  bellow  of  protest  by  pub 
lishing  Temora  in  1 763,  and  a  general  collec 
tion  of  the  Poems  of  Ossian  in  1765.  Both 
compilations  are  regarded  by  our  matter-of- 
fact  book-lovers  (who  yet  profess  to  under 
stand  Browning  and  Carlyle  !)  as  incoherent 
rubbish  of  dubious  parentage.  "  Poems  "  and 
putative  author  would  have  been  forgotten 
.and  clean  out  of  the  minds  of  readers  and 
reviewers,  fifty  years  ago,  but  for  half-a-dozen 
phrases  that  flash  like  jewels  in  a  dust-heap. 
Ossian,  the  son  and  panegyrist  of  Fingal,  King 
of  Morven,  was  not  merely  read,  but  quoted, 
by  our  great-grandmothers.  They  hung  en 
tranced  over,  and  read  aloud,  in  summer  noons 
and  winter  midnights,  what  went  before  and 
came  after  such  lines  as,— 

"  The  music  of  Carryl  is  like  the  memory  of  departed 
joys — pleasant  and  mournful  to  the  soul." 

Fingal, — "  grand,  gloomy,  and  peculiar  " — 
the,  to  our  taste,  highly  bombastic  hero  of  Te 
mora  and  other  of  the  unrhymed  translations, 
found  signal  favour  in  Anice  Stockton's  sight. 


no        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

She  christened  the  home  of  her  bridehood 
"  Morven,"  the  soft  music  of  the  name  com 
mending  it  to  her  ears,  as  to  ours.  She  gave, 
personal  supervision  to  the  grading  of  lawns, 
planting  of  shrubbery  and  avenues  of  trees, 
and  the  laying-out  of  parterres  and  "  pleas- 
aunces."  During  her  gracious  reign  Morvea 
gained  the  reputation  for  superb  hospitality  it. 
has  never  lost. 

Sons  and  daughters  were  born  to  the  per 
fectly  mated  pair,  frolicked  in  the  shaded 
pleasure-grounds  all  day  long,  said  their  prayers 
at  their  mother's  knee,  and  were  folded  nightly 
under  the  broad  rooftree.  They  were  nurtured, 
according  to  Presbyterian  traditions,  in  the 
fear  of  GOD  and  trained  to  fear  naught  else 

o 

but  failure  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  GOD 
and  the  law  of  love  to  man.  Twelve  happy,, 
busy  years  went  by,  and  the  first  separation 
had  to  be  faced  and  endured — this,  too,  for 
duty's  sake.  Public  and  private  business, 
called  Mr.  Stockton  to  England.  A  Presi 
dent,  able  and  learned,  was  wanted  for  the 
College  of  New  Jersey  ;  the  subject  of  paper 
currency  in  the  Colonies  was  growing  from 
gravity  into  perplexity  ;  yet  more  serious 
questions  were  seething  in  the  minds  of  embryo 


Morven  1 1 1 

statesmen  and  incorruptible  patriots  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  ruffling  the  tempers 
of  officials  in  the  Home  Government. 

In  1766,  Mr.  Stockton  sailed  for  Great 
Britain  after  a  vain  endeavour  to  induce  his 
wife  to  accompany  him.  Both  parents  must 
not  leave  the  children,  she  represented  mildly, 
but  firmly.  As  sensibly  and  heroically  she 
forwarded  the  preparations  for  his  voyage  and 
long  absence. 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  looking  over  a 
MS.  volume  of  letters,  written  during  the 
separation  of  sixteen  months  that  tried  the 
hopes  and  spirits  of  the  faithful  pair.  They 
were  copied  out  carefully,  after  Richard  Stock 
ton's  death,  by  his  widow  for  their  daughter, 
Mrs.  Field, — typewriting  being  among  the 
then-uninvented  arts.  The  priceless  archives 
of  wedded  devotion  stronger  than  time  and 
death  are  now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs. 
Chancellor  McGill  of  New  Jersey,  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  Richard  and  Anice  Stock 
ton. 

Addressing  her  "  in  the  old,  sweet  way  "  as 
"  Emilia,"  the  traveller  writes  of  "a  charming 
collection  of  bulbous  roots  "  he  is  getting  to 
gether  to  send  her  as  soon  as  the  Americaa 


ii2         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

spring  opens.  "  But  I  really  believe  "-  -  he 
breaks  off  to  say  proudly — "  you  have  as  fine 
tulips  and  hyacinths  in  your  little  garden  as 
almost  any  in  England." 

In  another  letter: — " Suppose  in  the  next 
place  I  inform  you  that  I  design  a  ride  to 
Twickenham,  the  latter  end  of  next  month, 
principally  to  view  Mr.  Pope's  garden  and 
grotto,  and  that  I  shall  take  with  me  a  gentle 
man  who  draws  well,  to  lay  down  an  exact 
plan  of  the  whole."  He  has  high  hopes  that 
he  has  prevailed  upon  Dr.  Witherspoon  of 
Paisley,  Scotland,  to  accept  the  Presidency 
of  the  College  ;  he  has  attended  the  Queen's 
birthnight  ball,  and  describes  it  in  lively  terms  ; 
he  is  uneasy  over  probable  political  compli 
cations. 

"  Mr.  Charles  Townsend,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex 
chequer,  informed  the  House  last  week  that  he  was  pre 
paring  a  scheme  to  lay  before  them  for  raising  money 
from  the  Colonies  ;  urged  the  necessity  of  sending  more 
troops  there,  and  the  propriety  and  justice  of  their  sup 
porting  them.  I  exceedingly  fear  that  we  shall  get 
together  by  the  ears,  and  GOD  only  knows  what  is  to 
be  the  issue.  .  .  .  Wherever  I  can  serve  my  native 
country,  I  leave  no  occasion  untried.  Dear  America  ! 
thou  sweet  retreat  from  greatness  and  corruption  !  In 
thee  I  choose  to  live  and  die  !  " 


Morven  113 

These  are  sentences  which  forecast  darkly 
the  coming  conflict,  full  of  fate  for  him 
and  his. 

We  recognise  a  familiar  name  in  that  of 
Lord  Adam  Gordon  in  whose  care,  it  may  be 
recollected,  Sir  William  Johnson  of  Johnson 
Hall  sent  his  son  and  heir  to  England  "  to  get 
rid  of  the  rusticity  of  a  home  education." 
The  Scottish  peer  would  seem  to  have  had 
an  especial  penchant  for  American  boys. 

"  He  inquired  very  particularly  after  you 
and  your  dear  little  boy,"  writes  the  absent 
husband,  making  it  evident  that  Lord  Adam 
had  been  a  guest  at  Morven,  as  well  as  at 
Johnson  Hall,  while  in  America. 

The  fond  father  bids  the  mother 

"  Kiss  my  dear,  sweet  children  for  me,  and  give  rather 
the  hardest  squeeze  to  my  only  son,  if  you  think  it  right. 
If  not,  divide  it  equally  without  any  partiality.  .  .  . 

"  I  am  entertained  with  the  grandeur  and  vanity 
of  these  kingdoms,  as  you  wished  me  to  be,  and,  as  you 
know  I  am  curious,  new  objects  are  continually  striking 
my  attention  and  engaging  my  fancy  ;  but 

1  One  thought  of  thee  puts  all  the  pomp  to  flight ; 
Priests,  tapers,  temples,  swim  before  my  sight.' 

Let  me  tell  you  that  all  the  grandeur  and  elegance  that 
I  have  yet  seen  in  these  kingdoms,  in  different  families, 


ii4        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

where  I  have  been  received  with  great  politeness,  serves 
but  to  increase  the  pleasure  I  have,  for  some  years,  en 
joyed  in  your  society.  I  see  not  a  sensible,  obliging, 
tender  wife,  but  the  image  of  my  dear  Emilia  is  full  in 
view.  I  see  not  a  haughty,  imperious  dame,  but  I  re 
joice  that  the  partner  of  my  life  is  so  much  the  opposite. 
But  why  need  I  talk  so  gallantly?  You  know  my  ideas 
long  ago,  as  well  as  you  would  were  I  to  write  a  volume 
upon  the  endearing  topic.  .  .  . 

"  Here  I  saw  all  your  Duchesses  of  Ancaster,  Hamil 
ton,  etc.,  so  famous  for  their  beauty.  But  here,  I  have 
done  with  this  subject  !  for  I  had  rather  ramble  with  you 
along  the  rivulets  of  Morven  or  Red  Hill,  and  see  the 
rural  sports  of  the  chaste  little  frogs,  than  again  be  at  a 
birthnight  ball." 

After  his  return  to  America,  and  Morven, 
he  was  appointed  to  a  seat  in  the  Royal  Coun 
cil  of  the  Provinces,  and  to  a  judgeship  in  the 
Supreme  Court.  These  and  other  honours 
made  the  severance  of  his  allegiance  to  the 
Crown  a  terrible  wrench  for  man  and  public 
official. 

The  crucial  test  of  loyalty  and  of  conscience 
was  applied  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  and  sent 
his  name  down  to  us  as  "  The  Signer." 

His  eldest  daughter,  Julia,  was,  by  now,  mar 
ried  to  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  of  Philadelphia, 
already  eminent  in  his  profession.  The  two 
affixed  their  names  on  the  same  day  to  the 


Morven  1 1 7 

Declaration  of  Independence.  Indeed,  the 
family  connexion  presented  a  united  front  in 
this  crisis  of  national  history.  His  brothers, 
Philip  and  Samuel,  and  their  brother-in-law, 
Elias  Boudinot,  were  zealous  and  consistent 
patriots  throughout  the  war. 

A  New  Jersey  historian  is  enthusiastic  over 
the  honour  reflected  upon  Princeton  by  the 
fact  that  two  of  her  citizens  are  upon  the  im 
mortal  roll  of  honour  : 

"  Dr.  Witherspoon  was  the  acting  pastor  of  the  Pres 
byterian  Church,  and  Mr.  Stockton  a  member  of  it.  Dr. 
Witherspoon  was  president  of  the  College,  and  Mr. 
Stockton  was  a  trustee  and  a  graduate  of  the  same. 

"  What  other  little  town,  in  our  whole  country,  was  so 
honoured  as  to  have  had  two  of  her  citizens,  and  such 
distinguished  ones  as  these  were,  to  sign  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  ?  " 

The  cloud,  big  with  fate  to  two  nations,  was 
to  burst  with  awful  fury  and  suddenness  upon 
Morven.  When  her  master  pledged  "  life,  for 
tune,  and  sacred  honour"  for  his  fulfilment  of 
the  obligations  entered  into  on  our  first  "  In 
dependence  Day,"  he  virtually  signed  the  for 
feiture  of  the  first  two.  After  the  adjournment 
of  Congress  in  Philadelphia  he  returned  to  his 
Princeton  home,  never  so  fair  before  as  now. 


ii8        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

In  almost  twenty  years  of  proprietorship,  he 
had  brought  the  interior  and  the  environment 
of  the  mansion  to  a  degree  of  luxury  and 
beauty  impossible  in  a  new  country  unless 
wealth,  taste,  and  foreign  travel  combine  to 
accumulate  pictures  and  furniture,  and  to  stock 
grounds  with  exotic  trees  and  plants.  The 
line  of  historic  catalpas  set  out  by  him  along 
the  front  of  the  lawn  were  but  saplings  then, 
yet  were  in  flower  on  that  memorable  July 
day  when  Richard  Stockton  alighted  from  his 
travelling  carriage  at  his  own  door  and  told 
his  wife  what  he  had  done  and  what  might  be 
the  consequences. 

Catalpas,  and  the  long  avenue  of  elms  in 
which  we  stroll  to-day,  were  leafless  when 
news  was  hurriedly  brought  to  Princeton  that 
a  body  of  British  soldiers  was  marching  to 
wards  the  town.  Silver  was  buried  in  the 
frozen  earth  ;  papers  and  other  portable  valu 
ables  were  huddled  into  portmanteaux ;  the 
horses  and  roomy  chariot  were  ordered  for 
instant  flight. 

o 

An  incident  related  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Stockton 
must  not  be  omitted  from  this  part  of  our 
story.  Mrs.  Stockton  had  her  husband's  un 
bounded  confidence.  His  private,  and  yet 


Morven  119 

more  important  public,  correspondence  passed 
through  her  hands  for  approval,  for  revision, 
and  for  sealing.  She  was  privy  to  the  fact 
that  certain  important  documents  relating  to 
public  affairs  and  involving  the  liberty,  if  not 
the  lives,  of  those  by  whom  they  were  written, 
had  been  deposited  in  "  Whig  Hall,"  Prince 
ton.  In  the  haste,  confusion,  and  alarm  of 
the  flitting  from  Morven,  the  intrepid  woman 
recollected  the  papers,  and  taking  no  one  into 
her  confidence,  ran  alone  through  byways  to 
the  Hall,  secured  the  treasonable  correspond 
ence,  and  with  her  own  hands  secreted  them 
in  the  grounds  of  her  home.  Some  say  they 
were  buried  ;  others,  that  they  were  hidden  in 
a  hollow  tree.  In  recognition  of  these  and 
other  services  rendered  to  the  organisation  dur 
ing  the  Revolution,  she  was  made  a  member 
of  the  American  Whig  Society.  "  This  is  the 
only  instance  in  which  a  lady  has  been  in 
itiated  into  the  mysteries  of  that  literary 
brotherhood." 

Richard,  the  eldest  son,  a  lad  of  twelve,  was, 
singularly  enough,  as  it  appears  to  us,  left 
behind  when  the  rest  of  the  family  quitted 
Morven.  u  In  care  of  a  trustworthy  old  serv 
ant,"  is  an  explanatory  phrase  not  quite  satis- 


120       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

factory  to  those  who  know  nothing  more  than 
the  bare  circumstance  that  father,  mother,  and 
the  other  children  sought  refuge  in  the  house 
of  Mr.  John  Covenhoven,  thirty  miles  distant, 
in  Monmouth  County.  It  may  have  been 
that  the  boy's  occupation  of  the  home  was 
meant  to  cover  some  technical  point  relative 
to  the  absolute  desertion  of  the  premises. 
There  was  no  danger  of  personal  violence  to 
him.  Cornwallis  was  with  the  advancing  forces, 
and  he  was  too  brave  a  gentleman  to  make  war 
upon  children.  One  of  the  dramatic  episodes 
of  the  arrival  of  the  British  company  at  the 
homestead  must  have  been  the  apparition  of 
the  always  dauntless  son  of  the  house  where 
they  had  expected  to  see  no  one.  Morven 
was  Lord  Cornwallis's  headquarters.  He 
occupied  it  for  a  month,  sleeping  in  the  spa 
cious  bedchamber  above  the  drawing-room.  In 
leaving,  he  gave  the  place  over  to  the  wanton 
depredations  of  his  men.  The  stables  were 
emptied  of  stock  and  provender  ;  the  wine-cel 
lars  were  gutted  ;  the  furniture,  imported  and 
home-made,  was  hacked  into  firewood  ;  books 
and  pictures  fed  the  wanton  flames.  The 
portrait  of  Mr.  Stockton  painted  by  Copley, 
from  which  our  illustration  is  taken,  was  left 


Morven  121 

upon  the  wall,  but  mutilated.  A  gash  in  the 
throat  severed  the  head  from  the  body,  signi 
fying  the  opinion  of  a  humorous  trooper  as  to 
the  fate  deserved  by  the  rebellious  original. 
The  injury  has  been  neatly  repaired,  yet  the 


RICHARD   STOCKTON 

"THE    SIGNER  " 


work  of  the  decapitating  blade  is  still  visible 
in  certain  lights. 

o 

Princeton  was  occupied  by  the  British, 
December  7,  1776.  The  evicted  fugitives' 
dream  of  security  with  the  hospitable  Coven- 
hovens  was  rudely  dispelled,  a  few  nights 


J22        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

afterward,  by  the  violent  entrance  of  a  posse 
of  armed  men  into  Mr.  Stockton's  chamber. 
The  secret  of  his  hiding-place  had  been  be 
trayed  by  neighbourhood  tories,  and  a  party 
was  sent  to  apprehend  him.  He  was  taken  to  a 
New  York  jail,  thence  transferred  to  a  prison- 
ship,  and  treated  like  a  common  felon. 

The  Battle  of  Princeton  was  fought  January 
3,  1777.  The  British  were  driven  out  of  the 
town  and  ejected  from  the  College  in  which  a 
regiment  had  taken  shelter.  On  the  same  day 
Congress  passed  this  resolution  : 

"  Whereas,  Congress  hath  received  information  that 
Richard  Stockton,  Esq.,  of  New  Jersey,  and  a  member 
•of  this  Congress,  hath  been  made  a  prisoner,  and  ignomi- 
niously  thrown  into  a  common  jail,  and  there  detained. 
.  .  .  Resolved,  that  General  Washington  be  directed 
to  make  immediate  inquiry  into  the  truth  of  this  report, 
and  if  he  finds  reason  to  believe  it  well-founded,  that  he 
send  to  General  Howe,  remonstrating  against  this  de 
parture  from  that  humane  procedure  which  has  marked 
the  conduct  of  these  States  to  prisoners  who  have  fallen 
into  their  hands,  and  to  know  of  General  Howe  whether 
he  chooses  this  shall  be  the  future  rule  for  treating  all 
such  on  both  sides  as  the  fortune  of  war  may  place  in  the 
hands  of  either  party." 

The  remonstrance  had  the  effect  of  releasing 
Mr.  Stockton  after  some  needless  delays.  The 


Morven  123 

tedious  weeks  of  confinement  in  the  middle 
of  an  unusually  inclement  winter  undermined 
his  health.  He  rejoined  his  family  at  Mor 
ven,  indomitable  in  spirit,  but  shattered  in 
constitution. 

The  homestead  was  a  yet  more  pitiable 
wreck.  In  evacuating  it,  the  soldiery  had 
fired  both  wings,  counting  upon  the  destruction 
of  the  entire  building.  The  conflagration  was 
arrested  before  the  main  body  of  the  house  was 
reached.  We  see  the  noble  halls  and  arched 
doorways,  the  drawing-room,  dining-room,  and 
the  bedchambers  above  these,  as  they  were 
restored  by  the  owners,  grateful  to  find  thus 
much  of  the  original  edifice  standing. 

The  news  of  the  loss  of  her  library  was 
carried  to  Mrs.  Stockton  in  Monmouth.  She 
heard  it  with  the  fortitude  of  the  patriot,  the 
composure  of  the  thoroughbred. 

"  I  shall  not  complain  if  only  my  Bible  and 
Young's  Night  Thoughts  are  saved,"  was  her 
remark,  recalled  wonderingly  when,  as  the 
story  runs,  these  two  books  were  brought  to 
her,  upon  her  return  to  Princeton,  as  the  for 
lorn  relics  of  the  treasures  which  had  filled  her 
shelves. 

But  one   of    the    three    chests   of  valuables 


i24        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

buried  in  the  woods  had  escaped  the  marauders. 
The  location  of  the  others  was  revealed  to  the 
soldiery  by  one  of  the  Morven  servants,— 
not,  we  are  glad  to  be  assured,  the  faithful 
majordomo  who  was  the  custodian  of  the 
young  master  left  at  home. 

Mrs.  McGill  prizes,  as  one  of  her  choicest 
heirlooms,  a  silver  coffee-pot,  disinterred  with 
other  plate  when  the  coast  was  cleared  of 
robbers  and  traitors.  On  one  side  is  the 
Stockton  coat  of  arms,  but  without  the  lion 
rampant  that  appears  in  our  reproduction  of  the 
insignia.  Instead  of  the  king  of  beasts  we 
have  upon  the  reverse  side  of  the  pot  the  figure 
of  a  dove.  Whether  the  gentle  bird  were  an 
innovation  upon  the  conventional  design,  or 
had  a  right  to  perch  upon  the  genealogical 
tree,  is  a  mooted  question  with  judges  of 
heraldic  emblems.  Anice  Stockton's  eyes 
may  have  glistened  tenderly  in  looking  upon 
the  symbol  of  peace  restored  to  heart  and 
dwelling  by  the  husband's  release  and  the 
blessedness  of  once  more  gathering  her  child 
ren  in  the  home  of  their  fathers. 

Peace  and  joy  were  short-lived.  It  became 
fatally  evident  before  the  ruined  wings  were 
rebuilt  and  Morven  was  refurnished,  that  the 


Morven  125 

mischief  wrought  by  freezing  nights  in  a  fire- 
less  cell,  wretched  fare,  and  the  unspeakable 
horrors  of  the  prison-ship  could  never  be 
remedied.  One  ailment  succeeded  another, 
each  in  evidence  of  poison  the  system  had  not 
strength  to  expel,  until  a  cancerous  affection 
laid  the  sufferer  aside  from  professional  labours 
and  social  enjoyments.  For  months  prior  to 
his  decease  he  never  lost  the  consciousness  of 
torturing  pain  except  when  under  the  influence 
•of  opiates,  and  had  not  one  hour  of  natural  sleep. 

"  Not  one  soft  slumber  cheats  the  vital  pain," 

wrote  the  devoted  wife,  his  constant  nurse,  in 
the  vigil  of  "December  jd,  1780"  The  im 
promptu  scribbled  beside  the  death-pillow 
"  cannot  "—says  Mr.  J.  W.  Stockton,  "  be 
given  as  a  specimen  of  her  poetic  abilities," 
—yet  some  stanzas  bring  scene  and  sufferers 
vividly  to  our  mental  vision. 

"  While  through  the  silence  of  the  gloomy  night, 

My  aching  heart  reverb'rates  every  moan, 
As,  watching  by  the  glimmering  taper's  light, 
I  make  each  sigh,  each  mortal  pang  my  own. 

But  why  should  I  implore  Sleep's  friendly  aid  ? 

O'er  me,  her  poppies  shed  no  ease  impart  ; 
But  dreams  of  dear,  departing  joys  invade 

And  rack  with  fears  my  sad,  prophetic  heart. 


i26       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

And  vain  is  prophecy — when  death's  approach 
Thro'  years  of  pain  hath  sapped  a  dearer  life,, 

And  makes  me,  coward-like,  myself  reproach 
That  e  'er  I  knew  the  tender  name  of  wife. 

Oh  !  could  I  take  the  fate  to  him  assigned, 
And  leave  the  helpless  family  their  head  ! 

How  pleased,  how  peaceful,  to  my  lot  resigned,, 
I  'd  quit  the  nurse's  station  for  the  bed  !  " 

Richard  the  Signer  died  at  Morven,  February 
28,  ij8i — is  an  entry  in  the  family  chronicle 
directly  beneath  the  lines  from  which  I  have 
quoted. 

His  funeral  sermon  was  based  upon  a  text 
selected  by  the  widowed  Anice  : 

/  have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection,  but  Thy 
commandment  is  exceeding  broad. 

The  eulogium  pronounced  by  the  preacher, 
Dr.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  Vice-President 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  includes  this 
summary  of  Mr.  Stockton's  deportment,  char 
acter,  and  attainments. 

"  In  his  private  life  he  was  easy  and  graceful  in  his. 
manners  ;  in  his  conversation  affable  and  entertaining,, 
and  master  of  a  smooth  and  elegant  style,  even  in  his  or 
dinary  discourse.  As  a  man  of  letters  he  possessed  a. 
superior  genius,  highly  cultivated  by  long  and  assiduous- 
application.  His  researches  into  the  principles  of  morals, 


Morven 


127 


and  religion  were  deep  and  accurate,  and  his  knowledge 
of  the  laws  of  his  country  extensive  and  profound.  He 
was  particularly  admired  for  a  flowing  and  persuasive 
eloquence  by  which  he  long  governed  in  the  Courts  of 
New  Jersey." 


V 


MORVEN,  THE  STOCKTON  HOMESTEAD, 
PRINCETON,  NEW  JERSEY 

(Concluded^) 

"  The  History  of  Princeton,  by  John  Freling- 
huysen  Hageman,  Counsellor-at-Law,  Prince 
ton,  N.  J.,"  diverges  from  the  dusty  road  of 
historical  and  statistical  details  to  give  us  a 
passage  which  is  poetical  in  spirit  and  graceful 
in  wording  : 

"  The  long  row  of  large,  though  knotty  and  gnarled, 
catalpas,  still  in  vigorous  life,  along  the  whole  front  of 
Morven  on  Stockton  Street,  having  survived  the  less 
ancient  pines  which  alternated  them,  were  planted  by 
him"  [Richard  (IV.)  Stockton]. — "This  row  of  catalpas 
in  front  of  Morven  can  only  be  viewed  as  a  sacred  me 
morial  to  the  Signer  of  the  Declaration.  The  Fourth 
of  July  is  the  great  day  in  Mr.  Stockton's  calendar,  as  it 
is  in  that  of  our  country,  and  these  catalpas,  with  the 
undeviating  certainty  of  the  seasons,  put  on  their  pure 
white  blooming  costume,  every  Fourth  of  July.  For  this 

1 23 


Morven  129 

reason,  they  have  been  called,  very  fitly  in  this  country, 
the  '  Independence  Tree.'  For  one  hundred  years 
[this  in  1876]  have  these  trees  pronounced  their  annual 
panegyric  upon  the  memory  of  the  man  who  planted 
them." 

Looking  down  the  leafless  vista  upon  the 
anniversary  of  her  husband's  death-day,  Anice 
Stockton  wrote — for  her  own  eyes  and  her 
children's  : 

"  To  me  in  vain  shall  cheerful  spring  return, 
And  tuneful  birds  salute  the  purple  morn  ; 
Autumn  in  vain  present  me  all  her  stores, 
Or  summer  court  me  with  her  fragrant  bowers  ; 
These  fragrant  bowers  were  planted  by  his  hand 
And  now,  neglected  and  unpruned,  must  stand. 
Ye  stately  Elms  and  lofty  Cedars  !   Mourn  ! 
Slow  through  your  avenues  you  saw  him  borne, 
The  friend  who  reared  you,  never  to  return." 

Although  a  handsome  and  brilliant  woman 
under  fifty  years  of  age  when  left  a  widow, 
Mrs.  Stockton  gave  her  peerless  husband  no 
successor  in  her  heart.  For  her  children's 
sake,  she  took  her  place  in  the  society  she  was 
born  to  adorn,  when  the  days  of  nominal 
mourning  were  over.  The  hospitable  doors  of 
Morven  had  not  been  closed  against  the  hosts 
of  true  friends  who  revered  the  master's  mem 
ory  and  sympathised  in  the  grief  of  the  smitten 


130        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

household.  Congress  met  in  Princeton  in 
1783,  with  Elias  Boudinot,  Mrs.  Stockton's 
brother,  as  President.  The  Fourth  of  July 
was  celebrated  with  much  eclat  by  the  Literary 
Societies  of  Nassau  Hall,  and  the  orators  of 
the  occasion,  together  with  a  number  of  mem 
bers  of  Congress,  dined  at  Morven  as  the 
guests  of  the  President.  He  was  an  inmate  of 
his  sister's  house  during  the  session  of  the 
Chief  Court  of  the  United  States  at  Prince 
ton. 

The  fifth  Richard  Stockton  in  the  direct 
line  of  natural  succession,  and  the  fourth  in 
heirship,  was  now  nineteen,  and  already  a  man 
in  dignity  of  bearing  and  mental  development. 
His  environment  was  all  the  most  ambitious 
parent  could  have  asked  for  an  ambitious  son. 
Washington  was  a  frequent  visitor  in  the  house 
of  his  late  friend,  and  on  the  most  cordial 
terms  with  the  accomplished  hostess. 

What  is  "  thought  to  be  the  most  lively  and 
sprightly  letter  that  is  known  to  have  been 
written  by  General  Washington,"  was  ad 
dressed  to  Mrs.  Stockton,  "  Sept.  2,  1783."  It 
was  in  answer  to  an  "  Ode  to  Washington," 
written  by  her  on  the  announcement  of  peace. 
The  tribute  to  the  hero  is  in  the  formal — we 


Morven  133 

should  say,  "  stilted  "  —style  of  a  day  when 
odes  were  en  rbgle,  and  verse-making  was  an 
accomplishment  much  affected  by  "  society 
people." 

"  Emilia  "  had  previously  congratulated  Corn- 
wallis's  victor  in  the  columns  of  the  New  Jersey 
Gazette,  and  received  an  autograph  letter  of 
thanks,  assuring  the  fair  author  that 

"  This  address,  from  a  person  of  your  refined  taste 
and  elegance  of  expression,  affords  a  pleasure  beyond 
my  powers  of  utterance.  I  have  only  to  lament  that  the 
hero  of  your  pastoral  is  not  more  deserving  of  your  pen  ; 
but  the  circumstance  shall  be  placed  among  the  happiest 
events  of  my  life." 

In  the  second  ode,  sent  direct  to  the  subject 
thereof,  the  fair  author  asks  : 

"  Say  !  can  a  woman's  voice  an  audience  gain, 
And  stop  a  moment  thy  triumphal  car  ?  " 

Although  sorely  tempted  to  transcribe  all 
four  pages  of  the  "  lively  and  sprightly  "  prose 
effusion  drawn  from  the  martial  soul  of  the 
recipient  of  the  compliment,  I  must,  perforce, 
content  myself  and  tantalise  the  reader  with 
the  opening  paragraph  and  the  shorter  flight 
into  the  realm  of  fanciful  gallantry  that  follows  : 


134       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  You  apply  to  me,  my  dear  madam,  for  absolution,  as 
though  I  was  your  father  confessor,  and  as  though  you 
had  committed  a  crime,  great  in  itself,  yet  of  the  venial 
class.  You  have  reason  good,  for  I  find  myself  strangely 
disposed  to  be  a  very  indulgent  ghostly  adviser  on  this 
occasion,  and  notwithstanding  *  you  are  the  most  offend 
ing  soul  alive  '  (that  is,  if  it  is  a  crime  to  write  elegant 
poetry),  yet,  if  you  will  come  and  dine  with  me  on 
Thursday,  and  go  through  the  proper  course  of  peni 
tence  which  shall  be  prescribed,  I  will  strive  hard  to 
assist  you  in  expiating  these  poetical  trespasses  on  this 
side  of  purgatory.  Nay,  more  ;  if  it  rests  with  me  to 
direct  your  future  lucubrations,  I  shall  certainly  urge 
you  to  a  repetition  of  the  same  conduct,  on  purpose  to 
show  what  an  admirable  knack  you  have  at  confession 
and  reformation  ;  and  so,  without  more  hesitation,  I 
shall  venture  to  recommend  the  muse  not  to  be  restrained 
by  ill-grounded  timidity,  but  to  go  on  and  prosper. 

"  You  see,  madam,  when  once  the  woman  has  tempted 
us,  and  we  have  tasted  the  forbidden  fruit,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  checking  our  appetite,  whatever  the  con 
sequences  may  be.  You  will,  I  daresay,  recognise  our 
being  the  genuine  descendants  of  those  who  are  reputed 
to  be  our  great  progenitors." 

The  charger  of  our  hero's  imagination  floun 
ders  in  the  unfamiliar  field  as  in  a  morass.  It 
would  be  unfair  to  him,  and  to  her  who  in 
spired  the  ponderous  effusion,  not  to  insert 
the  whole  of  a  third  letter,  to  which  we  turn 
with  grateful  relief : 


Morven  135 

"  MRS.  RICHARD  STOCKTON, 
"  '  Morven,' 

"  Princeton,  N.  J. 

"  MOUNT  VERNON,  Feb'y  i8th,  1784. 
"  DEAR  MADAM  : 

"  The  intemperate  weather,  and  very  great  care  which 
the  Post  Riders  take  of  themselves,  prevented  your  let 
ter  of  the  4th  of  last  month  from  reaching  my  hands  'till 
the  zoth  of  this.  I  was  then  in  the  very  act  of  setting 
off  on  a  visit  to  my  aged  Mother,  from  whence  I  am 
just  returned.  These  reasons.  I  beg  leave  to  offer,  as 
an  apology  for  my  silence  until  now. 

"  It  would  be  a  pity  indeed,  my  dear  Madam,  if  the 
Muses  should  be  restrained  in  you.  It  is  only  to  be  re 
gretted  that  the  hero  of  your  poetical  talents  is  not  more 
deserving  their  lays.  I  cannot,  however,  from  motives 
of  false  delicacy  (because  I  happen  to  be  the  principal 
character  in  your  Pastoral),  withhold  my  encomiums  on 
the  performance,  for  I  think  the  easy,  simple,  and  beau 
tiful  strains  with  which  the  dialogue  is  supported,  does 
great  justice  to  your  genius,  and  will  not  only  secure 
Lucinda  &  Aminta  from  Wits  &  Critics,  but  draw  from 
them,  however  unwillingly,  their  highest  plaudits,  if 
they  can  relish  the  praises  that  are  given  as  highly  as 
they  must  admire  the  manner  of  bestowing  them. 

"  Mrs.  Washington,  equally  sensible  with  myself  of 
the  honour  you  have  done  her,  joins  me  in  most  affec 
tionate  compliments  to  yourself,  the  young  Ladies  & 
Gentlemen  of  your  family.  With  sentiments  of  esteem, 
regard  and  respect, 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Dear  Madam, 
"  Y'r  Most  Obed't  Serv't, 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 

9 


136       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

When  her  son  Richard  (V.)  married,  Mrs., 
now  "  Madam,"  Stockton  voluntarily  abdicated 
the  throne  she  had  graced  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  Washington's  last  visit  to  her  was  paid 
when  she  was  boarding  in  a  private  family  in 
Princeton.  Her  four  beautiful  daughters  were 
married — Julia,  as  we  have  seen,  to  Dr.  Rush  ; 
Susan  to  Alexander  Cuthbert,  Esq.,  a  Cana 
dian  ;  Mary  to  Rev.  Dr.  Hunter,  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman  who  had  served  through  the  Revo 
lutionary  War  as  an  army  chaplain  ;  Abigail 
to  Robert  Field,  Esq.,  of  Whitehill,  Burlington 
County.  The  mother's  old  age  was  placid  and 
honourable  to  the  end.  At  the  time  of  her 
death,  February  6,  1801,  she  had  resided  for 
some  years  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Field. 

I  owe  to  the  kindly  courtesy  of  Mrs.  McGill 
the  privilege  of  inserting  here  a  letter  written 
by  Mrs.  Richard  Stockton  to  Mrs.  Field,  as  a 
preface  to  the  volume  of  MS.  letters  referred 
to  in  the  preceding  chapter.  It  rounds  off 
fitly  the  story  of  conjugal  love,  stronger  than 
death  : 

January  the  I2th,  JfpJ. 

"  You  could  not,  my  dear  Abby,  have  made  a  request 
to  me  more  mourn  fuly  pleasing,  than  that  of  copying  for 
you  your  dear,  and  ever  lamented  father's  letters.  Your 
tender  years  when  he  left  us,  prevented  you  from  form- 


Morven  137 

ing  any  adequate  idea  of  your  loss  in  such  a  parent.  In 
deed,  you  must  feel  it  more  now,  than  you  could  then. 
I  am  sorry  that  the  ravages  of  war  have  left  so  few  of  his. 
writings.  All  of  them  would  be  a  treasure  to  his  child 
ren,  and  an  improvement  to  the  world.  It  seems  as  if 
some  kind  power,  watchful  over  the  happiness  of  poor 
mortals,  had  interposed  to  save  a  very  few  of  the  many 
letters  he  wrote  to  me  while  he  was  abroad.  The 
soldiers'  straw  and  dirt  from  which  I  carefully  collected 
them  with  my  own  hand,  has  indeed  so  torn  and  effaced 
them,  together  with  the  running  hand  in  which  they 
were  written,  that  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  cannot  read 
ily  read  them  .  .  . 

"  You  will  see  in  those  letters,  the  portrait  of  your  be 
loved  Father's  character  in  the  domestick  point  of  view, 
which  was  truly  amiable, — and  tho  when  he  wrote  them,, 
they  were  intended  for  no  eye  but  mine,  yet  by  them  you 
will  be  better  able  to  judge  of  his  character,  as  a  friend,, 
a  husband,  and  a  parent,  than  by  a  volume  of  encomium 
drawn  up  by  the  ablest  hands.  Had  I  the  ability  to  do 
his  talents,  his  virtues,  and  his  usefulness,  justice,  they 
should  not  be  buried  in  silence  and  forgotten, — but  tc* 
you,  my  dear,  I  will  give  a  few  traits  of  his  character, — 
as  I  know  you  will  never  sit  as  a  critic  on  your  Mother's, 
attempts  to  revive  in  your  memory  the  sweet  idea  of  such 
a  Father.  Therefore  I  dedicate  this  little  manuscript 
book  to  you. 

"  He  was  a  most  accomplished  man,  adorned  with  such 
native  ease  and  dignity  of  manner  as  did  honour  to  hu 
man  nature.  His  address  was  elegant  and  fascinating  ; 
— he  had  all  the  polish  of  a  Court,  in  his  conversation 
and  behaviour.  He  was  a  man  of  genius  and  learning, 


138       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

and  appeared  to  understand  the  theory  of  the  whole  cir 
cle  of  sciences  and  the  practice  of  a  great  many  of  them 
perfectly.  He  had  the  most  active  and  penetrating  mind, 
with  the  clearest  head,  and  the  most  sound  judgment  I 
ever  knew  meet  in  one  man,  joined  to  an  industry  and 
attention  in  everything  that  he  undertook,  that  made  him 
able  to  accomplish  what  he  designed,  however  arduous 
the  purpose.  He  was  kind,  benevolent,  and  hospitable, 
ever  ready  to  do  good,  both  in  the  line  of  his  profession, 
and  in  the  daily  occurrences  of  life.  His  piety  towards 
God,  his  gratitude  for  all  His  mercies,  his  resignation  to 
His  will,  and  his  confidence  in  the  atoning  merits  of  his 
blessed  Redeemer,  completed  the  whole  round  of  his 
character,  and  formed  him  to  be  the  best  of  husbands, 
the  kindest  father,  brother,  master,  friend.  My  earnest 
prayer,  day  and  night,  is  that  you  may  all  tread  in  his 
footsteps,  and  enjoy  his  reward.  .  .  . 

"  I  have  in  my  possession  many  letters  which  he  wrote 
to  Lord  North  and  other  ministers  after  he  returned  from 
England  respecting  this  country.  The  cloud  that  after 
ward  poured  in  a  storm  all  over  this  extensive  continent 
was  gathering  thick  when  he  was  in  England,  and  he 
laboured  as  much  as  he  was  able  then  for  the  sake  of 
both  countries  to  avert  it.  My  motive  in  mentioning 
these  letters  to  you  is  to  elucidate  in  some  degree  my 
opinion  of  his  penetration,  as  you  will  see  that  it  oper 
ated  there  almost  to  prediction.  Therefore  I  wish  you 
to  read  them,  and  I  shall  add  to  what  I  have  written  in 
this  book  copies  of  the  anniversary  eulogy  which  I  have 
written  to  his  memory  almost  every  year  since  his  death, 
the  return  of  which  I  have  ever  kept  as  a  day  of  solitude 
and  retirement,  and  shall  to  the  end  of  my  days." 


Morven  139 

Richard  (V.)  Stockton,  surnamed  by  college- 
mates  and  townsmen  "the  Duke,"  while  lack 
ing  his  father's  unfailing  courtesy  of  mien  and 
affability  to  lofty  and  low,  won  and  held  the 
respect  of  his  fellow  citizens.  "  He  was  a 
gentleman  of  a  lofty  sense  of  honour  and  the 
sternest  integrity,"  testifies  an  eminent  lawyer 
who  studied  his  profession  in  Mr.  Stockton's 
office.  "  He  had  a  great  abhorrence  of  every 
thing  mean  and  unworthy." 

From  the  same  authority,  (Mr.  Samuel  J. 
Bayard  of  Princeton,)  we  have  a  characteristic 
.anecdote  of  "  the  Duke."  When  Lafayette 
made  the  tour  of  America  in  1824-26,  the 
master  of  Morven  was  appointed  by  the  com 
mittee  of  reception  to  act  as  their  mouthpiece 
in  welcoming  the  distinguished  visitor  to 
Princeton.  Mr.  Bayard  writes  : 

"  In  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  Lafayette  was 
to  arrive  the  council  assembled  to  hear  Mr.  Stockton 
read  his  address.  He  commenced  by  saying  *  Monsieur 
le  Marquis  de  La  Fayette.'  After  he  concluded,  I  sug 
gested  timidly  that  La  Fayette  had  renounced  his  title  in 
the  National  Assembly  and  that  he  would  prefer  in  this 
•country  to  be  called  '  General.'  Mr.  Stockton  sternly 
said — '  Once  a  Marquis,  always  a  Marquis  !  I  shall  ad- 
•  dress  him  by  what  was  his  title  before  the  infamous 
French  Revolution.'  And  he  did  so  address  him.  " 


140       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Mr.  Stockton  was  elected  twice  to  Congress, 
once  to  the  Senate,  and  once  to  the  House,  and 
stood  for  a  quarter-century  in  the  front  rank  of 
American  jurists. 

He  died  at  Morven  in  1828. 

His  eldest  son  Richard  (VI.)  who  should 
have  come  after  him  in  the  proprietorship  of 
the  now  ancient  homestead,  removed  to  Missis 
sippi  before  his  father's  death,  and  continued 
there  the  practice  of  law  he  had  begun  with 
flattering  promise  of  success  in  New  Jersey. 
He  was  Attorney  General  of  his  adopted 
State  when  he  was  killed  in  a  duel  with  a 
brother  judge. 

Morven,  with  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
of  surrounding  land,  together  with  fifteen 
thousand  acres  in  North  Carolina  and  other 
tracts  in  New  Jersey  and  elsewhere,  composed 
the  fortune  Robert  Field  Stockton,  "  the 
Duke's"  second  son,  found  waiting  for  him 
when  called  to  take  the  place  left  vacant  by  his 
father's  death. 

He  had  entered  Princeton  College  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Hageman  re 
lates  that  "  in  his  boyhood  he  was  characterised 
for  his  personal  courage,  a  high  sense  of 
honour,  a  hatred  of  injustice,  with  unbounded 


Morven 

generosity  and  a  devoted  attachment  to  his 
friends."  Added  to  these  were  ambitions  that 
seemed  audacious  in  a  boy,  and  a  thirst  for 
adventure  rarely  developed  in  American  youths 
born  to  "  expectations."  These  aspirations 


COMMODORE    ROBERT    FIELD   STOCKTON. 

begat  such  restlessness  in  the  high-spirited  boy 
that  he  left  college  before  the  time  for  gradua 
tion,  and  entered  the  navy,  a  service  then 
mightily  stimulated  by  the  prospect  of  another 
war  with  Great  Britain.  Robert  Stockton 
received  his  midshipman's  commission  in  1811, 
and  was  sent  on  board  the  frigate  President, 


i42       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

then  preparing  for  a  patrol  cruise  along  the- 
coast  threatened  by  British  vessels.  In  the 
war  of  1812,  his  dauntless  courage  and  keen 
delight  in  the  excitement  and  danger  of  battle 
earned  for  him  the  nickname  of  "  Fighting 
Bob,"  a  title  that  stayed  by  him  all  his  life. 

Ten  years,  crowded  with  perils  and  happen 
ings,  elapsed  before  he  was  again  at  Morven. 
His  parents  were  living,  and  had,  besides  him 
self,  seven  other  children.  The  young  falcon 
had  tried  his  wings  and  knew  their  strength 
and  the  joys  of  flight.  At  twenty-eight  he 
had  fought  under  Decatur  at  Algiers,  cruised 
and  explored  and  battled  under  Bainbridge, 
Rodgers,  and  Chauncey,  and  risen  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant.  Philanthropy  entered  into  the 
next  project  that  fired  his  ardent  soul.  In 
1821  he  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Africa,  com 
manding  officer  of  anew  vessel,  and,  as  actuary 
of  the  American  Colonisation  Society,  com 
missioned  to  select  a  location  for  the  colony  of 
liberated  negroes  they  purposed  to  establish 
near  the  British  settlement  of  Sierra  Leone. 
The  history  of  the  expedition  belittles,  in 
stirring  incident,  hairbreadth  escapes,  and 
daring  enterprise,  the  most  improbable  of 
Stevenson's,  Hope's,  and  Weyman's  fictions. 


Morven  143 

After  his  party  of  three  white  men  and  an 
interpreter  had  forced  their  way  through  mo 
rass,  jungle,  and  forest  to  the  village  of  the 
African  chief,  "  King  Peter,"  they  were  con 
fronted  by  a  horde  of  murderous  savages,  in 
furiated  by  the  rumour  that  the  object  of  the 
strangers'  visit  was  to  convict  the  tribe  of 
supplying  slavers  with  prisoners  taken  in  in 
ternecine  warfare,  and  women  and  children 
stolen  from  their  enemies'  villages.  I  extract 
from  Hageman's  History  a  partial  account  of 
the  scene  given  by  Doctor  Ayres,  an  eye 
witness  : 

"  Stockton  instantly,  with  his  clear,  ringing  tone  of 
voice,  commanded  silence.  The  multitude  was  hushed 
as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  among  them,  and  every 
eye  was  turned  upon  the  speaker.  Deliberately  drawing 
a  pistol  from  his  breast  and  cocking  it,  he  gave  it  to  Dr. 
Ayres,  saying,  while  he  pointed  to  the  mulatto  :  'Shoot 
that  villain  if  he  opens  his  lips  again  !  '  Then,  with  the 
same  deliberation,  drawing  another  pistol  and  levelling 
it  at  the  head  of  King  Peter,  and  directing  him  to  be 
silent  until  he  heard  what  was  to  be  said,  he  proceeded 
to  explain  the  true  object  of  this  treaty,  and  warned  the 
king  of  the  consequences  of  his  refusal  to  execute  it, 
threatening  the  worst  punishment  of  an  angry  God  if  he 
should  fail  to  perform  his  agreement. 

"  During  this  harangue,  delivered  through  an  inter 
preter,  the  whole  throng,  horror-struck  with  the  danger 


144       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  their  king  and  awed  by  the  majesty  of  an  ascendant 
mind,  sunk  gradually,  cowering  prostrate  to  the  ground. 
If  they  had  believed  Stockton  to  be  an  immediate  mes 
senger  from  heaven,  they  could  not  have  quailed  and 
shrunk  and  humbled  themselves  to  more  humiliating 
postures.  Like  true  savages,  the  transition  in  their 
minds  from  ferocity  to  abject  cowardice  was  sudden 
and  involuntary.  King  Peter  was  quite  as  much  over 
come  with  fear  as  any  of  the  crowd,  and  Stockton,  as 
he  perceived  the  effect  of  his  own  intrepidity,  pressed 
the  yielding  mood  only  with  more  sternness  and  vehe 
mence." 

The  territory  purchased  for  the  American 
Colonisation  Society  by  Lieutenant  Stockton 
is  now  the  Republic  of  Liberia. 

As  the  determined  opponent  of  the  slave- 
trade,  he  chased  and  captured  a  number  of 
slave-ships  sailing  under  false  colours  ;  ferreted 
out  more  than  one  nest  of  pirates,  and  dragged 
the  offenders  to  justice.  He  had  crowded  the 
events  and  perils  of  a  lifetime  into  his  thirty- 
one  years  of  mortal  existence  when  he  seemed 
content  to  settle  down  to  the  peaceful  pursuits 
of  a  country  gentleman  in  the  home  and  town 
his  forefathers  had  founded.  For  sixteen 
years  he  had  never  asked  for  a  furlough,  and 
now,  while  holding  himself  in  readiness  to 
respond  to  the  recall  to  active  service,  he 


Morven  H5 

engaged  with  characteristic  energy  in  the 
duties  that  lay  nearest  his  hand.  He  was 
the  President  of  the  Colonisation  Society ; 
the  importer  of  blooded  racers  from  Eng 
land  ;  the  eloquent  supporter  of  Andrew  Jack 
son's  claims  to  the  Presidential  chair  ;  the 
largest  shareholder  and  most  active  promoter 
of  the  Delaware  and  Raritan  Canal  Company, 
making  a  voyage  to  England  to  effect  a  loan 
in  behalf  of  the  scheme. 

Jackson's  advocate  was  not  Van  Buren's. 
Captain  Stockton  "  stumped  "  New  Jersey  for 
"  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  in  1840,  and, 
when  Harrison's  death  made  John  Tyler  Presi 
dent,  was  offered  and  declined  the  Secretary 
ship  of  the  Navy.  "  Fighting  Bob's  "  tastes 
did  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  state-desks,  port 
folios,  and  audience  of  office-seekers. 

One  of  the  great  honours  and  the  great 
catastrophe  of  his  eventful  life  came  to  him 
February  28,  1844.  At  his  earnest  request 
the  Navy  Department  authorised  him  to  con 
struct  the  first  steamship-of-war  ever  success 
fully  launched.  The  marvel  was  named  by 
her  gratified  inventor — The  Princeton.  The 
trial  trip  was  made  down  the  Potomac.  The 
passengers  were  the  President  and  Cabinet, 


146       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

many  members  of  Congress  and  distinguished 
residents  of  Washington.  The  two  great  guns 
were  fired  amid  wild  enthusiasm.  They  were 
still  at  table  when  some  of  the  company  were 
seized  with  a  desire  to  have  one  of  the  big  guns 
fired  a  second  time.  The  Captain  objected, 
smilingly  ;  "  No  more  guns  to-night !  "  he  said,, 
decidedly. 

The  request  was  pressed  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  and  the  Captain  fired  the  gun  with 
his  own  hand.  A  terrific  explosion  ensued. 
The  iron  monster  had  burst,  and  five  of  the 
guests,  including  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  were  killed  instantly. 
Although  the  court  of  inquiry  absolved  Captain 
Stockton  from  all  blame,  he  carried  the  awful 
memory  of  the  day  all  his  life,  and  could  never 
allude  to  it  without  profound  emotion. 

We  have  not  room  for  more  than  a  hasty 
summary  of  other  achievements  of  this  eminent 
scion  of  a  noble  race.  He  took  possession  of 
California  for  the  United  States,  and  formed 
a  provisional  government  there  in  1846,  thus 
securing  the  jurisdiction  for  his  nation  before 
the  close  of  the  Mexican  War.  The  first 
printing-press  and  schoolhouse  in  California 
were  his  work.  He  resigned  his  command  in 


Morven  147 

the  Navy,  May  28,  1850;  was  United  States 
Senator  from  New  Jersey,  1851-53  ;  was  the 
nominee  of  the  ''American  Party"  for  the 
Presidency  in  1856,  a  ticket  withdrawn,  at  his 
instance,  before  election-day. 

In  1 86 1,  he  wrote  to  Governor  Olden  : 

"  to  consider  the  best  means  of  preserving  our  own  State 
from  aggression. 

"You  remember  it  is  only  the  River  Delaware  that 
separates  New  Jersey  from  the  Slave  States.  If  you 
should  see  fit  to  call  upon  me  for  any  aid  that  I  can 
render,  it  is  freely  rendered.  This  is  no  time  to  potter 
about  past  differences  of  opinion,  or  to  criticise  the 
administration  of  public  affairs.  I  shall  hoist  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner  at  Morven,  the  former  residence  of  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, — 
that  flag,  which,  when  a  boy,  I  nailed  to  the  frigate 
President." 

Commodore  Stockton  drew  his  last  breath 
where  he  had  drawn  his  first — in  Morven.  He 
saw  the  July  blossoming  of  the  catalpas  in 
1866.  Catalpas  were  in  the  sere,  elms,  chest 
nuts,  and  maples  in  the  yellow,  leaf  when  the 
keen  eyes  closed  upon  earthly  change  and 
glory.  He  died  October  7,  1866,  in  his  seventy- 
first  year, 

"  full  of  vigour  and  energy.  No  infirmity  of  body  had 
given  a  premonition  of  his  death,"  writes  the  historian. 


148       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  His  health  had  been  preserved  by  his  abstemious  hab 
its  of  life  and  general  care  of  himself.  ...  He  was 
impulsive,  yet  self-possessed,  generous  and  noble,  with 
a  wonderful  magnetism  over  men  when  he  came  into 
personal  contact  with  them." 

In  1824,  when  twenty-nine  years  old,  he 
married  a  South  Carolina  belle,  Miss  Maria 
Potter,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Potter,  then 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  afterwards  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Princeton.  Commodore 
Stockton  survived  his  excellent  wife  for  sev 
eral  years. 

Their  sons  were  Richard  (VII.),  a  lawyer 
of  note,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Delaware  and 
Raritan  Company  ;  John  Potter  Stockton,  who 
became  Attorney  General  of  the  State  and  an 
active  and  popular  United  States  Senator; 
General  Robert  Field  Stockton,  Comptroller 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey — all  men  of  rare 
ability,  and  useful  citizens  of  State  and  nation. 
Six  daughters  grew  to  womanhood  :  Mrs. 
F.  D.  Howell,  Mrs.  Admiral  Howell,  Mrs. 
W.  R.  Brown,  Mrs.  Hopkins,  Mrs.  W.  A. 
Dod,  and  Miss  Maria  Stockton. 

Morven  lapsed  out  of  the  straight  line  of 
succession  at  Commodore  Stockton's  death. 
It  remained  in  the  family  until  it  was  bought 


Morven  151 

by  Rev.  Dr.  Shields,  of  Princeton.  His 
daughter,  the  wife  of  Bayard  Stockton,  Esq., 
a  grandson  of  Commodore  Stockton,  is  now 
the  graceful  mistress  of  the  venerable  mansion. 
The  venerable  homestead  is  therefore  restored 
to  the  lineal  succession  of  the  founders. 

Front  and  back  doors  of  the  wide  hall  stood 
open  to  let  in  spring  sunshine  and  airs  when 
I  visited  Morven  in  the  present  year.  A 
tall  Japan  apple-tree  (Pyrus  floribunda)  on 
one  side  of  the  porch  flamed  red  and  clear  as 
the  bush  that  burned  on  Horeb  ;  other  clumps 
of  flowering  shrubbery,  pink,  white,  and  yel 
low,  lighted  up  the  grounds  laid  out  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  years  ago  after  the  pattern  of 
Mr.  Pope's  at  Twickenham.  Horse-chestnuts 
still  stand  in  line  to  indicate  the  course  of 
ancient  avenues,  and  the  rugged  catalpas, 
defiant  of  the  centuries,  mount  guard  upon 
the  outskirts  of  the  lawn.  At  the  left  of 
the  entrance-hall  is  the  dining-room,  where 
Washington  and  his  generals — Lafayette  and 
Rochambeau  and  Viscount  de  Chastellux,— 
Cornwallis  and  his  officers,  grave  and  rever 
end  seigniors  from  every  land  under  the  sun, 
and  nearly  every  President  of  the  United 
States,  have  broken  bread  and  quaffed  the 


i52        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

generous  vintage  for  which  the  Morven  cellars 
have  always  been  famous. 


BAYARD   STOCKTON,    ESQ. 

A  scarf  wrought  by  the  deft  fingers  of  the 

o  J  o       . 

present  lady  of  the  manor  is   thrown  over  a 
sideboard,  and  bears  this  legend  : 

"  Sons  of  Morven  spread  the  feast,  and  send  the  night  away 
in  song." 

The  drawing-room  is  across  the  hall,  and  we 
pass  up   the  staircase  to  the   chamber  where 


Morven 


Cornwallis  ''lay" — in  archaic  phrase — during 
the  four  weeks  in  which  Washington  was  mak 
ing  ready  to  dislodge  him.  The  carved  mantel 
in  this  room  was  in  place  then,  and  the  logs 
blazed  merrily  below  when  the  Delaware  and 
Raritan  were  frozen  over,  and  the  deposed 
master  of  Mor 
ven  was  being 
done  to  his  deatli 
in  common  jail 
and  prison-ship. 
The  £  i  a  n  t 

o 

horse-chestnut  at 
the  rear  of  the 
house  sprang 
from  a  nut 
planted  by  one 
of  the  Pintard 
brothers  when 
they  were  court 
ing  the  sisters, 
Abigail  and  Susannah  Stockton,  more  than  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  The  patriarch 
tree  is  eleven  feet  in  girth,  and  upbears  his 
crown  far  above  the  ridge-pole  of  the  house  it 
has  shaded  for  seven  generations  of  human 
life.  Upon  the  circular  platform  at  its  root 


'THE  GIANT  HORSE-CHESTNUT  TREE.; 


154       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Commodore  Stockton  used  to  arrange  dancing- 
parties  on  moonlight  nights,  when  the  branches 
were  heavy  with  blossoms  and  the  summer  air 
sweet  with  their  odour. 

"And  do  no  ghosts  walk  here?"  I  say  in 
credulously,  pausing  for  a  long  look  at  the 
portrait  of  "  the  Commodore"  against  the  wall  in 
the  dining-room,  his  sword  suspended  under  it. 

The  hostess,  so  slight  of  figure,  so  girlish  in 
the  riante  face  and  clear,  youthful  tones  that 
—set  in  the  storied  spaces  of  the  old  colonial 
homestead, — she  reminds  me  of  nothing  so 
much  as  the  poet's  "violet  by  a  mossy  stone," 
makes  laughing  reply  : 

"  None  !  That  is,  none  that  trouble  this 
generation." 


VI 


SCOTIA,   THE  GLEN-SANDERS  HOUSE, 
SCHENECTADY,  NEW  YORK 

UPON  the  2 ;th  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1661,  a  commissioner  appointed 
by  Peter  Stuyvesant,  "  Director-General  and 
Commissary  of  the  Privileged  West  India 
Company  at  Fort  Orange  and  the  town  of 
Beverwyck "  (now  Albany),  countersigned  a 
deed  of  sale  from  "  certain  chiefs  of  the  Mo 
hawk  country  "  "  unto  Sieur  Arent  Van  Cur 
ler  of  a  parcel  of  land  or  Great  Flat  called  in 
Indian,  Schonowa."  In  payment  for  this 
tract,  upon  which  the  city  of  Schenectady 
now  stands,  the  Mohawks  received  a  "  certain 
number  of  cargoes,"  character  and  value  un 
known. 

The  "Flats  and  Islands"  thus  conveyed 
were  neither  a  wooded  wilderness  nor  a  bar 
ren  waste,  but  cleared  lands  that  had  been 

155 


156       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

cultivated  for  generations  by  the  least  barbar 
ous  of  the  aboriginal  residents.  The  Mo 
hawks  had  five  strong 
villages,  or  castles,  be 
tween  the  mouth  of  the 
river  bearing  their  name 
and  Canajoharie,  their 
upper,  and  great,  castle 
in  Herkimer  County. 
"  Schonowa,"  or  Schen- 
ectady  Castle,  was  the 
second  sold  by  them  to 

QLEN-SANDERS  COAT  OF  ARMS.  ' 

the  whites. 

Among  the  petitioners  to  the  Director-Gen 
eral  for  permission  to  negotiate  for  the  tract 
was  Alexander  Lindsay  Glen,  a  Scotch  High 
lander  who,  like  hundreds  of  other  pioneers, 
had  tarried  in  Holland  on  the  way  to  America 
long  enough  to  identify  himself  with  Dutch 
immigrants.  To  association  with  them  he 
owed  the  name  by  which  he  was  known  in  the 
early  days  of  his  residence  in  the  Colonies, 
"Sander  Leendertse  Glen."  His  original  in 
tention  to  settle  himself  upon  a  grant  of  Dela 
ware  lands  was  frustrated  by  the  unfriendliness 
of  the  Swedes,  who  were  in  possession  there 
in  1643.  He  applied  for,  and  received,  another 


Scotia  157 

igrant  in  New  Amsterdam  (New  York)  in  1646. 
As  a  trader  in  Albany,  then  Beverwyck,  he 
amassed  a  considerable  fortune, 

"  owned  lands,  houses,  and  cattle  at  Gravesend,  Long 
Island,  and  in  1658,  built  a  mansion  of  stone,  on  the 
north  bank  of  our  beautiful  river,  under  protection  and 
title  of  the  Mohawks  ;  for  which  site  and  some  adjacent 
uplands,  with  some  small  islands  and  all  the  flats  con 
tiguous,  he  obtained  a  patent  in  1665."  l 

That  the  Highlander  was  canny  in  his  gen 
eration  these  facts  denote.  An  anecdote  ex 
tracted  from  another  early  history  is  in  evidence 
of  other  Scotch  traits.  An  agent  of  the  West 
India  Company  attempted  to  arrest  a  negro 
slave  belonging  to  "  Sander  Leendertse  Glen." 
Her  master  resisted  the  official,  and,  when 
threatened  with  imprisonment  and  confisca 
tion  if  he  persisted  in  his  contumacy,  boldly 
•declared  himself  a  subject  of  the  Patroon  of 
Rensselaerwyck,  the  determined  opponent 
of  the  West  India  Company's  authority  and 
claims. 

"  I  cannot  serve  a  new  master  until  I  am 
•discharged  from  the  one  I  live  under,"  he 
maintained,  sturdily. 

And  when  the  infuriated  officer  "  drew  his 

1  Early  History  of  Schenectady,  by  Hon.  John  Sanders. 


158       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

rapier  and  threatened  to  run  his  adversary 
through,  Glen  fearlessly  seized  a  club  to  repel 
his  assailant,  who  then  prudently  retired." 

Loyalty,  thrift,  and  courage  were  united,  in 
the  staunch  Presbyterian,  to  blameless  integ 
rity  that  earned  the  confidence  of  white  and 
savage  neighbours.  He  bought  lands  from 
the  Mohawks  and  paid  for  them  ;  Indians  and 
negroes  worked  together  in  his  broad  mead 
ows,  and  ate  from  the  same  board.  Beyond 
the  stone  mansion,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  "  Scotia,"  in  loving  memory  of  his  native 
land,  stretched  away  to  the  north  hundreds  of 
miles  of  woodlands  and  fertile  valleys,  un 
claimed  by  the  whites.  Between  him  and  the 
bounds  of  Canada  the  Indians  held  everything, 
and  were  prepared  to  resist  every  trespass 
upon  their  rights.  While  Alexander  Glen 
lived  these  rights  were  religiously  respected, 
and  the  foundations  laid  of  an  hereditary 
friendship  between  the  residents  of  Scotia 
and  the  Mohawks  which,  as  we  shall  see,  bore 
much  fruit  in  after  years. 

"  Reared  in  the  religious  tenets  of  John 
Knox,"  the  successful  freeholder  was  also  a 
valiant  churchgoer.  Four  times  a  year  an  Al 
bany  dominie  visited  Schenectady,  to  adminis- 


Scotia  159 

ter  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  and  to 
baptise  such  infants  as  had  helped  swell  the 
population  of  the  young  colony  since  his  last 
services  there.  There  was  a  Reformed  Dutch 
church  in  Albany,  twenty-odd  miles  away, 
and  perhaps  a  dozen  times  in  the  twelve 
month  "  Sander  Leendertse  Glen  "  was  in  his 
pew  in  the  sacred  edifice,  having  left  Scotia 
early  Saturday  morning  to  accomplish  the 
journey  by  Saturday  night.  In  1682,  he  built, 
at  his  own  expense,  "  and  presented  the  same 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Schenectady  as  a  free 
gift,"  a  frame  building,  to  be  used  as  a  church 
on  Sundays,  as  a  public  hall  during  the  week. 
The  first  pastor  was  installed  and  the  building 
was  consecrated  in  1684. 

Catherine  Dongan  Glen,  the  wife  of  Alex 
ander,  died  at  Scotia  in  August  of  the  same 
year,  and  at  her  husband's  request  was  buried 
in  the  chancel  of  the  church.  One  year  and 
two  months  thereafter  a  grave  was  opened  for 
him  at  her  side.  There  their  remains  were 
found  after  an  interment  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three  years,  and  reverently  removed  by 
a  descendant  to  the  Scotia  family  burying- 
ground. 

Of  his  three  sons  (he  had  no  daughters). 


160       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Jacob  Alexander  died  one  month  before  his 
father's  decease,  at  the  age  of  forty.  He  had 
lived  in  Albany  many  years,  and  left  five  chil 
dren,  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Alexander,  the  second  son,  was  an  active 
and  influential  citizen  of  Schenectady,  the 
captain  of  a  company  of  Colonial  militia,  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  a  mighty  hunter,  and 
a  famous  fisherman.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-eight,  childless. 

The  homestead  and  the  surrounding  planta 
tion  were  inherited  by  John  Alexander,  the 
third  and  youngest  son  of  Alexander  Lindsay 
Glen.  As  a  rule,  the  colonists  married  early. 
At  nineteen,  John  Alexander  had  espoused 
Anna  Peek,  the  daughter  of  the  settler  from 
whom  Peekskill  takes  its  name,  and  was  now 
the  father  of  six  living  children. 

The  site  of  the  "  mansion  of  stone  "  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Mohawk  was  nearer  the  wa 
ter's  edge  than  the  present  house.  Little  by 
little,  the  channel  encroached  upon  grounds 
and  foundations  for  half  a  century,  until  the 
lower  courses  of  stone — all  that  remain  to 
mark  the  spot — are  now  under  water.  When 
John  Alexander  Glen  became,  in  the  thirty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  master  of  the  estate, 


Scotia 


161 


he  was  the  richest  man  for  many  miles  around. 
The  family  gift  of  winning  popularity  was  his 


TABLET  IN  SCOTIA,  BROUGHT  FROM  ENGLAND. 

in  large  measure.  With  the  Indians  and 
French  he  was  "  Major  Coudre,"  a  nickname 
bestowed  for  some  reason  that  has  not  been 
transmitted  to  us. 

Says  his  historian-descendant,  in  mock  seri 
ousness  : 

"  The  Mohawks  of  Scotia's  early  days  were  always 
•devoted  friends  of  the  Dutch,  but  they  were  barbarous 
.after  all,  and  the  white  population  was  too  sparse,  weak, 


162       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

and  timid  to  interfere  with  the  chivalric  customs  of 
those  noble  knights  of  the  tomahawk,  blunderbuss,  bow, 
and  arrow." 

In  pursuance  of  the  politic  tolerance  ex 
ercised  toward  the  chivalric  customs  of  the 
soil,  the  Mohawks  had  been  allowed  to  re 
tain  the  right  to  torture  and  burn  alive  such 
prisoners  as  they  willed  to  hale  to  a  hillock 
within  the  precincts  of  the  Scotia  plantation. 
The  spot  had  been  set  aside  for  that  purpose 
through  untold  generations  of  blood-loving 
warriors.  Where  their  fathers  butchered,  they 
would  slay  and  burn.  Nothing  the  Glens — 
father  and  sons — could  say  had  abated  the 
horrible  practice. 

When  a  large  body  of  Mohawks,  just  re 
turned  from  an  expedition  northward,  swarmed 
down  upon  their  "  reserve  "  one  summer  after 
noon,  soon  after  Alexander  Glen's  death,  the 
hubbub  of  savage  rejoicing,  distinctly  audible 
at  the  house,  was  nothing  novel  or  alarming. 
What  was  to  be,  would  be.  If  John  Glen  and 
Anna,  his  wife,  had  not  seen  with  their  own 
eyes  the  frightful  ceremonies  set  for  the  next 
day,  they  had  heard  stories  of  them  from  their 
babyhood,  and  comprehended  the  futility  of 
meddling  with  wild  beasts  ravening  for  blood.. 


Scotia  163 

The  complexion  of  the  present  case  was 
changed  when  a  party  of  the  savages  brought 
to  their  house  for  safe-keeping  a  French 
Jesuit  priest,  the  destined  victim  of  the  mor 
row's  sacrifice. 

I  quote  from  a  descendant's  letter : 

"  The  reason  of  their  peculiar  dislike  to  priests  was 
this  :  The  Mohawks  were  Protestants  after  their  own 
fashion, — '  because  the  Dutch  were] — and  this  priest, 
with  others,  had  proselyted  among  them,  and  caused 
some,  as  a  Catholic  party,  to  remove  to  Canada.  Now, 
these  rejoicing,  victorious  Christians  soon  announced  to 
Mr.  Glen  and  his  wife  that  they  intended  a  special  roast 
of  their  captive  on  the  following  morning.  So  they 
brought  the  unfortunate  priest  along  for  Glen  to  lock 
up  in  his  cellar  until  they  should  want  him  for  their 
pious  sacrifice." 

With  the  blanched  face  and  quivering  limbs 
of  the  doomed  man  before  them,  the  husband 
and  wife  were  coolly  composed.  They  raised 
no  objection  to  the  pious  roast  aforesaid.  As 
a  matter  of  ordinary  prudence,  they  declined 
to  take  the  responsibility  of  becoming  the 
captor's  gaolers.  They  knew  the  tricks  and 
manners  of  these  priests.  Wizards  they  were, 
to  a  man,  and  the  Jesuits  the  wiliest  wizards 
of  all.  If  the  Mohawks,  at  all  times  and  every- 


164       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

where  their  very  good  friends,  insisted  upon 
putting  the  prisoner  into  their  cellar,  he  must 
be  locked  up  by  the  Mohawks'  own  hands  and 
the  key  be  taken  away  by  them.  In  Mr.  Glen's 
opinion,  they  would  find,  in  the  morning,  that 
the  magician  had  slipped  out  through  the  key 
hole.  This  "  one  thing  he  proposed  with  wise 
solemnity,  and  this  just  proposition  Mrs.  Glen 
seconded." 

After  the  cellar  was  securely  locked  and  the 
key  safe  in  the  keeping  of  the  captors,  Mr. 
Glen  strolled  down  to  the  encampment  with 
them,  and  led  the  conversation  to  a  journey 
his  mules  and  a  trusty  negro  or  two  were  to 
make  to  Albany  the  next  day.  Scotia  was 
out  of  salt,  and  there  was  not  enough  in  Sche- 
nectady  to  supply  the  plantation.  Team  and 
negroes  would  set  out  before  sunrise.  The 
roads  were  deep  with  sand,  and  the  noonday 
sun  hot. 

The  savages  listened  indifferently.  A  keg 
of  rum  had  been  ordered  from  Schenectady, 
and  they  made  a  night  of  it.  Had  the  Glens 
been  inclined  to  sleep  they  could  not  have 
closed  their  eyes  for  the  hellish  screechings 
and  chants  that  could  be  heard  all  the  way  to 
the  town.  It  was  after  two  o'clock  when  the 


Scotia  165 

Protestant  participants  in  the  orgies  fell  into 
a  drunken  slumber.  By  four,  a  wagon  drove 
from  the  back  door  of  the  house,  laden  with 
what  assumed  to  be  empty  hogsheads.  One, 
in  the  centre  of  the  load,  was  open  at  the  bot 
tom,  and  there  were  holes  bored  here  and  there 
to  admit  the  air. 

When  Mr.  Glen,  awakened  by  the  howls  of 
rage  and  disappointment  arising  from  the  cel 
lar,  made  his  appearance  next  morning,  he 
reminded  the  Indians  of  his  caution  : 

"  I  told  you  so  !     Priests  are  wizards." 

And  they  reluctantly  replied  :  "  Coudre  was 
right." 

"  Nor,"  concludes  the  narrative,  "was  it  ever 
known  that  any  Mohawk  of  that  generation 
discovered  the  deception.  Major  Glen  was 
always  a  great  favourite  with  the  Mohawks. 
His  sayings  and  doings  were  ex  cathedra!' 

The  possibility  that  he  had  a  duplicate  key 
to  his  cellar  never  occurred  to  their  noble 
minds. 

The  good  deed  of  that  summer  night  was 
repaid  with  compound  interest  five  years  after 
wards.  On  February  8,  1690,  a  force  of  French 
and  Indians  swooped  down  upon  the  town  of 
Schenectady  and  massacred  every  white  per- 


1 66       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

son  who  could  not  escape,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  old  men,  women,  and  children,  spared 
through  a  spasm  of  compassion  on  the  part  of 
the  French  commandant. 

"  When  Coudre,  who  was  Mayor  of  the  place  and 
lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  would  not  surren 
der,  and  began  to  put  himself  on  the  defensive,  with 
his  servants  and  some  Indians  ...  it  was  resolved 
not  to  do  him  any  harm  in  consequence  of  the  good 
treatment  the  French  had  formerly  experienced  at  his 
hands.  .  .  .  Only  two  houses  were  spared  in  the 
town — one  belonging  to  Coudre,  and  another,  whither 
M.  de  Montigny  had  been  carried  when  wounded." 

Such  is  the  account  of  the  massacre  given 
by  a  French  writer. 

Brave  Anna  Glen  died  in  December,  1690, 
—the  year  Schenectady  was  burned.  Just  six 
months  and  two  days  afterward  her  widower 
married  the  Widow  Kemp,  whose  first  hus 
band,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  had  lost  his  life 
in  the  massacre.  She  was  a  sister  of  Cap 
tain  Alexander  Glen's  wife,  and  brought  his 
brother,  her  second  husband,  a  goodly  portion. 

The  two  wives  brought  him,  between  them, 
no  less  than  thirteen  children,  seven  of  them 
belonging  to  Anna,  six  to  Deborah  Kemp. 

In    1713,    Major   Glen    built   a    new   stone 


<  £ 

(-    - 


Scotia  169 

house  upon  a  knoll  overlooking  the  river,  and 
but  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  old  home, 
which  was  demolished  to  supply  part  of  the 
material  for  the  present  homestead.  The  incur 
sion  of  the  current — diverted  by  later  changes 
in  the  banks  and  bed  of  the  river — had  made 
Major  Glen  uneasy  as  to  the  permanence  of 
the  structure,  and  he  needed  more  room  for 
his  large  family.  Thrift  may  have  entered 
into  the  utilisation  of  every  beam  and  door 
and  balustrade  in  the  erection  of  the  second 
Scotia.  Yet  he  was  wealthy  enough  to  spare 
the  workmen  the  pains  of  the  contriving  and 
fitting  manifest  to  the  curious  inspector  of  the 
dwelling.  Doors  were  re-hinged  and  hung, 
the  grooves  of  bolt  and  latch  remaining  on  the 
other  side,  and  a  score  of  other  makeshifts,  or 
what  would  have  been  makeshifts  in  a  poorer 
man,  are  to  be  seen  throughout  the  building. 
It  is  altogether  likely  that  affectionate  associa 
tion  with  the  days  of  his  youth  and  the  father 
who  had  preceded  him  in  the  house  which  was 
the  northern  vanguard  of  civilisation,  moved 
him  to  preserve  the  wood  and  stone  he  could 
not  feel  were  insensate. 

He  lived  in  the  new  house  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  in  1731. 


i7°       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Alexander,  the  third  child  and  eldest  son  of 
Major  John  Alexander  Glen,  became  a  ship's 
surgeon,  and  died  at  sea  in  1686;  John,  sixth 
child  and  second  son,  also  died  before  his 
father,  and  unmarried  ;  Jacob  Alexander,  next 
in  order  of  succession,  removed  to  Baltimore 
at  an  early  age  and  founded  there  a  family. 
"  Several  of  the  line  became  greatly  distin 
guished  for  wealth  and  legal  ability,"  notably 
Judge  Elias  Glen  and  his  son,  John  Glen, 
who,  as  United  States  Judge  for  Maryland, 
"  took  his  seat  upon  the  same  bench  his  father 
had  previously  occupied." 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  Jacob  Glen,  the 
eighth  child  of  Major  John,  and  the  first  fruits 
of  the  second  marriage,  fell  heir  to  Scotia  and 
a  large  portion  of  the  original  estate.  This 
fortune  he  nearly  doubled  by  judicious  trad 
ing  and  investments  in  the  thirty-one  years  of 
his  occupancy  of  the  mansion.  He  was  a  per 
sonage  of  note  in  the  town  and  neighbour 
hood,  a  wise  agriculturist,  a  skilful  surveyor, 
a  member  of  the  Provincial  Legislature,  and 
-colonel  of  all  the  militia  west  of  Albany, — a 
regiment  at  one  time  3000  strong.  Exercise 
of  the  proverbial  hospitality  of  the  Scotia  clan 
proved  fatal  to  himself  and  wife.  Some  lately 


Scotia  171 

arrived  emigrants,  sick,  hopeless,  and  poor, 
were  sheltered  and  fed  by  the  charitable  couple 
until  they  could  obtain  employment  elsewhere. 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Glen  took  ship-fever  from 
them,  and  died  within  three  days  of  one  an 
other  in  August,  1762. 

Their  only  child,  Deborah,  pretty  and  a 
prospective  heiress,  was  the  idol  of  her  parents 
and  a  brilliant  figure  in  what  Schenectady  by 
now  called  society.  When,  at  eighteen  she 
married  John  Sanders  of  Albany,  it  was  a  for 
gone  conclusion  that,  as  our  record  phrases  it, 
he  should  "immediately  remove  to  Scotia." 
To  "remove"  the  petted  darling  from  the 
homestead  would  be  to  tear  the  pearl  from  a 
setting  that  would  be  worse  than  valueless 
without  her. 

From  the  first  mention  of  Deborah  (the 
family  register  spells  it  without  the  final  Ji) 
Glen  in  the  pages  that  are  more  than  half- 
filled  with  italicised  lists  of  the  born,  married, 
and  died,  she  seizes  upon  our  fancy  as  a  liv 
ing  personality  might.  There  is  a  full-length 
picture  of  her  upstairs  in  "  Grandma's  Room," 
to  which  we  shall  mount  by-and-by.  It  had 
never  much  value  as  a  work  of  art.  With 
other  paintings  that  hang  in  the  same  room, 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


it  was  once  snatched  from  a  burning  room,  and: 
is  darkened  by  smoke  and  heat.  But  we  take 
kindly,  even  lovingly,  to  the  little  lady,  as  we 
see  her  there.  She  has  a  sonsie,  shrewd,  happy 
Scotch  face  and  a  trig  figure  laced  up  in  a  co 
quettish  boddice  ;  she  carries  her  head  a  trifle 
proudly,  as  conscious  of  her  dignities  and  im 
munities  from  rules  that  constrained  other 
damsels  of  her  rank  and  age  to  obedience  to 
parents  and  superiors.  A  pair  of  her  slippers, 
flowered  satin,  with  high  heels  and  high  in 
steps,  are  brought  to  us  while  we  look  at  her. 
We  run  three  fingers  into  the  silken  recess  of 
the  instep  and,  in  imagination,  fit  them  upon 
the  tiny  feet  that  in  the  painting  are  shod  with 
just  such  another  pair.  At  her  side  is  the  pict 
ure  of  a  nice-looking  boy,  and,  facing  him  on 
the  opposite  wall,  is  the  portrait  of  an  old  man, 
his  cheeks  sunken  and  forehead  seamed  by  the 
ploughshare  of  time  and  care.  Both  represent 
one  and  the  same  person  —  the  John  Sanders- 
whom  she  played  with  as  a  child,  and  married 
when  she  had  grown  to  womanhood  and  he 
was  a  man  of  twenty-five. 

Life's  ironies  are  oftenest  and  most  aptly 
expressed  by  these  old  family  portraits  and 
relics. 


Scotia  1 73 

Our  dainty  Deborah  was  dauntless  as  well. 
In  the  lower  hall  we  stayed  to  hear  a  story 
that  made  us  shudder,  as  she  did  not  for  her 
self.  She  was  reading  in  the  library  at  the 
left  of  the  front  door  one  day,  when  she  heard 
loud  wrangling  in  the  hall,  and  went  out  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  Two  Indians,  probably 
from  the  encampment  mentioned  just  now, 
had  come  to  blows.  One  had  pressed  his  an 
tagonist  up  to  the  first  landing  of  the  stairs, 
.and  the  latter,  seeing  himself  worsted,  raised 
his  tomahawk.  The  other,  unarmed,  made  a 
flying  leap  down  the  stairs  and  into  a  closet 
on  the  right  of  the  hall.  The  tomahawk  fol 
lowed,  just  missing  Deborah's  head,  and  scal 
ing  a  splinter  from  the  balustrade  in  hissing 
by.  The  tradition  is  that  Deborah  ordered 
both  men  from  the  house,  and  was  obeyed 
without  demur  from  either. 

Mrs.  Jacob  Glen  Sanders,  of  Albany  has  a 
clock — the  handsomest  of  its  kind  I  ever  saw 
—which  was  one  of  Deborah  Glen's  bridal 
gifts  from  her  fond  father. 

The  stately  timepiece  is  in  perfect  preserva 
tion,  and  ticks  away  the  seconds — "  the  stuff 
time  is  made  of"— with  unerring  regularity, 
setting  the  pace  for  watches  and  other  clocks 


174       More  Colonial  Homesteads 


DEBORAH  GLEN'S  CLOCK. 


with  the  authority  of  a 
chronometer.  If  the  rest 
of  Deborah's  plenishing 
was  in  keeping,  a  prin 
cess  might  have  been 
content  with  the  outfit. 

When  John  Sanders, 
and  Deborah,  his  wife, 
had  been  married  twenty- 
six  years,  and  for  three 
years  the  proprietors  of 
Scotia,  they  bought  out 
the  interests  of  John 
Glen  of  Albany  and  John 
Glen,  Jr.,  of  Schenec- 
tady,  in  the  Glen  estate, 
vesting  in  themselves  the 
title  to  the  bulk  of  the 
family  wealth  and  hon 
ours,  and  "merging  that 
branch  of  the  Glens  and 
the  Scotia  estate  into  the 
Sanders  name." 

Colonel  Glen  died  in 
1782,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  ;  his  wife  in  1 786^ 
in  her  sixty-fifth  year. 


Scotia  1 75 

Of  the  five  children  who  survived  them, 
John  (II.)  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of 
Scotia;  Maria  married  John  Jacob  Beekman 
of  Albany  ;  Sarah,  her  cousin,  John  Sanders 
Glen  of  Scotia  ;  Elsie,  Myndart  Schuyler  Ten 
Eyck  of  Schenectady  ;  Margaret,  Killian  Van 
Rensselaer  of  Albany.  Noble  names,  all  of 
them,  and  too  familiar  in  the  history  of  the 
Empire  State  to  need  such  poor  commenda 
tion  as  these  pages  could  give. 

John  (II.)  Sanders  also  wedded  a  "  Debora." 
She  was  his  first  cousin,  being  the  daughter  of 
his  uncle,  Robert  Sanders,  of  Albany.  They 
were  married  in  1777,  and  she  died  in  1793. 
Their  children  were  :  Elizabeth,  who  married 
William  Anderson;  Barent,  died  in  1854; 
Robert,  died  in  infancy  ;  Sarah,  married  to 
Peter  Schuyler  Van  Rensselaer ;  Catherine, 
married  to  Gerard  Beekman  ;  Robert,  died  in 
1840;  Jacob  Glen,  father  of  Jacob  Glen  San 
ders,  Esq.,  of  Albany ;  Peter,  who  died  in 
1850.  The  last  named  was  the  grandfather 
of  Mr.  Charles  P.  Sanders,  the  present  pro 
prietor  of  Scotia. 

In  1801,  John  (II.)  Sanders  married,  as  his 
second  wife,  Albertine  Ten  Broeck.  Their 
eldest  son,  John  (III.),  a  lawyer  of  note  in 


1 76       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Schenectady,  was  the  author  of  the  History  of 
Schenectady,  from  which  I  have  drawn  largely 
in  constructing  the  framework  of  this  chapter. 

The  old  house  fell  to  his  brother  Peter  in 
the  division  of  the  estate  ;  at  the  death  of  Pe 
ter,  to  his  son  Charles,  who  married  Jane  L. 
Ten  Broeck.  Their  son,  Charles  P.  Sanders, 
Jr.,  succeeded  in  his  turn,  and  now  owns  the 
homestead.  Anna  Lee  Sanders,  his  wife,  is  a 
direct  descendant  of  Deborah  Glen  through 
Deborah's  daughter  Maria,  the  sister  of  John 
{II.)  Sanders. 

The  troublous  time  through  which  the  col 
ony  on  the  beautiful  Mohawk  fared  to  stabil 
ity  and  peace,  bore  with  peculiar  severity  upon 
Mrs.  Sanders's  forbears.  Two  of  them,  Abram 
de  Graff  and  Captain  Daniel  Toll,  were  mur 
dered  about  three  miles  north  of  Scotia  by  the 
French  and  Indians  in  1748;  a  third  died  in 
captivity  in  Canada  in  i  746. 

It  is  given  to  few  other  American  home 
steads,  even  to  such  as  have  remained  in  one 
family  for  two  centuries,  to  contain  such  a 
wealth  of  valuable  relics  of  the  elder  times  our 
young  nation  is  just  now  beginning  to  appre 
ciate  aright.  Entering  the  house  from  the 
river-side,  and  by  what  used  to  be  the  front 


Scotia  177 

door,  we  pass  through  a  quaint,  roomy,  Dutch 
"  stoop,"  supplied  with  benches,  where  succes 
sive  generation  of  Glens  and  Sanderses  were 
wont  to  sit  of  warm  afternoons,  with  pipe  and 
mug,  enjoying  the  breeze  from  the  water,  and 
looking  down  toward  Schenectady.  From  the 
stoop  we  view  the  "  killing-ground,"  the  hil 
lock  so  accursed  in  the  memory  of  the  white 
settlers  that  it  was  selected  as  the  slaughter- 
place  of  the  plantation.  Every  animal  butch 
ered  here — from  beeves  to  chickens — was  taken 
to  that  spot  to  be  killed,  perhaps  with  some 
unexpressed  notion  of  the  atonement  of  bloody 
sacrifice  for  the  crimes  done  there, — some 
shadowy  idea  of  washing  away  human  blood 
with  the  blood  of  beasts.  The  custom  was 
kept  up  until  the  last  generation. 

In  his  old  age,  John  (II.)  Sanders  would  sit 
here  in  his  arm-chair  and  tell  his  great-grand 
children  how  he  had  himself  witnessed  the 
burning  of  the  last  prisoner  who  met  his  death 
thus  and  there, — a  Mohegan  Indian,  whom  no 
entreaties  on  the  part  of  their  white  "  friends  " 
could  induce  the  torturers  to  liberate. 

The  stoop  is  lined  with  solid  wooden  shut 
ters,  working  in  grooves  so  that  they  can  be 
raised  or  lowered,  to  exclude  sun  or  rain,  or  to 


178       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

admit  the  air.  The  massive  double  "  Dutch" 
door  was  brought  from  the  lower  and  older 
house  ;  the  library  on  the  left  is  filled  with 
books — some  modern,  more,  ancient.  Rare  old 
editions  of  German,  French,  Dutch,  and  English 
classics  make  the  collector's  eyes  glisten  covet 
ously  ;  piles  of  leather-bound  ledgers,  written 
full — in  ink  that  is  still  black — of  entries  of 
transactions  between  the  masters  of  the  soil 
and  other  settlers,  near  and  far,  are  upon 
shelves  and  tables.  There  is  hardly  a  name 
of  repute  common  to  Albany,  Schenectady,  or 
New  York  City  that  is  not  to  be  found  there, 
and  the  sums  total  at  the  close  of  each  week 
and  month  represent,  not  hundreds,  but  thous 
ands  of  dollars,  sometimes  tens  of  thousands, 
reckoned,  of  course,  in  English  pounds,  shil 
lings,  and  pence.  From  a  great  roll  of  yellowing 
newspapers  of  different  dates — few  under  a  hun 
dred  years  old — Mr.  Sanders  extracted  for  us 
one  headed  "Printing  Office,  Lansingburgh, 
May  6,  1789"  The  head-lines,  in  the  same 
type  with  the  rest  of  the  paper,  begin  in  this 
fashion  : 

"Sensible  of  the  pleasure  that  an  early  pe 
rusal  thereof  will  afford  our  respectable  read 
ers!'  The  article  then  states  that  the  events 


Scotia  1 79 

to  be  described  occurred  in  New  York,  April 
30,  one  week  ago.  The  extra,  hurried  through 
the  press  in  such  haste  that  the  reverse  of  the 
sheet  is  left  blank,  treats  of  the  inauguration  of 
Washington  as  first  President  of  these  United 
States.  A  copy  of  his  Inaugural  Address  fol 
lows.  On  the  back  of  it  is  written,  in  a  good 
clerkly  hand,  "  King  Washington  s  Speech." 
Lansingburgh  and  the  enterprising  editor 
had  not  yet  mastered  the  nomenclature  of  a 
republican  administration. 

Among  the  hundreds  of  autograph  letters 
stored  in  boxes  and  drawers,  is  a  "  due  bill " 
written  upon  a  square  scrap  of  paper,  so  ten 
der  and  tattered  it  hardly  held  together  while 
I  copied  it  : 

''"The  Bearer,  Schoyghoowate,  a  Young  Cayouga  chief, 
has  been  upon  a  Scouting  party  in  Fort  Stanwix  in  the  Be 
ginning  of  July  '77,  where  5  prisoners  and  4  Scalps  were 
taken,  and  has  not  received  any  Reward  for  said  Service, 
this  is  therefore  to  Certify  that  I  shall  see  him  contented  for 
Said  Service  on  my  first  seeing  him  again. 

44  Buck  Island,  Qth  July  '77. 

"  DAN.   GLAUS. 
44  Superintendent  of  the  Western  Expedition." 

It  is  not  agreeable  to  meet  Sir  William 
Johnson's  son-in-law  again  when  he  is  about 


i8o        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

such  work  as  this.  When  I  had  transferred 
the  inscription  to  my  note-book,  my  scholarly 
Schenectady  host,  who  had  escorted  me  to 
Scotia,  laid  an  impressive  finger  upon  the 
time-stained  memorandum  : 

"  Yet  latter-day  historians  deny  that  the 
British  Government  paid  a  bounty  for  scalps  ! 
Daniel  Claus  was  an  officer  of  the  Crown.'' 

What  can  be  said  or  thought  except  that  we 
hope  the  business  of  contenting  the  Cayouga 
of  the  unpronounceable  name  was  a  private 
venture  on  the  part  of  our  old  acquaintance, 
Nancy  Johnson's  husband  ? 

The  drawing-room,  and  the  square  hall  open 
ing  into  what  is  now  used  as  the  front  door, 
are  stocked  with  a  bewildering  and  bewitching 
array  of  antique  furniture.  The  Chippendale 
sideboard  in  the  hall  is  in  perfect  preservation 
and  extremely  handsome  ;  another  sideboard 
holds  wondrous  store  of  family  plate, — coffee- 
and  tea-pots,  tankards,  and  other  drinking-ves- 
sels  of  fantastic  design,  a  tall  cream-jug,  grace 
ful  in  shape  and  exquisite  in  finish,  massive 
forks  and  spoons,  to  make  which,  other  and 
yet  older  silver  was  melted  down  a  half-century 
ago,  a  bit  of  barbarity  akin  to  the  sale  by  an 
economical  housewife,  "  away  back,"  of  a  ton 


Scotia  181 

or  so  of  old  papers, — letters,  deeds,  and  the 
like, — "  that  were  cluttering  up  the  garret."  A 
waggon-load  of  "  the  rubbish "  went  to  the 
paper-mill,  and  was  ground  into  pulp. 

There  are  chests  upon  chests  of  old  manu 
scripts  left  in  the  great  attic.  When  Sir  John 
Johnson  fled  to  Canada,  accompanied  by  Wal 
ter  Butler,  many  boxes  of  the  Butler  papers 
were  taken  possession  of  by  the  American  au 
thorities,  and  stored  in  Scotia  for  safe-keeping. 
They  are  here  now,  tucked  away  under  the 
eaves,  awaiting  resurrection  at  the  call  of  relic- 
hunter  or  antiquarian. 

To  either  of  these  the  Scotia  attic  would  be 
an  enchanted  palace.  One  end  is  filled  by  the 
"smoke-room,"  where  the  annual  supply  of 
bacon,  beef,  venison,  and  fish  was  hung,  each 
in  its  season,  and  cured  by  the  smoke  of  hick 
ory  and  oak  chips  smouldering  in  the  hollowed 
floor.  A  valve  in  the  chimney,  forming  one 
side  of  the  curing-room,  allowed  the  smoke  to 
escape  when  it  had  done  its  work.  Outside 
of  this  room  is  a  mass  of  antiques  of  all  sorts 
and  ages.  Fire-buckets,  foot-stoves,  warming- 
pans,  two  immense  turn-spits,  still  whole,  and 
in  good  working  order  if  they  were  needed  ; 
spinning-wheels  of  all  sizes  ;  chairs  and  stools  ; 


.i 8.2        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

candle-sticks,  trays,  and  snuffers  ;  hair-trunks. — 
My  eye  singled  out  from  these  last  one  about 
a  foot  long,  and  perhaps  eight  inches  high, 
lettered  with  brass  nails,  "  H.  T,  B." 


OLD  CHINA  IN  SCOTIA. 

"  Helen  Ten  Broeck,"  Mr.  Sanders  inter 
preted,  as  I  read  the  initials  aloud. 

I  opened  it  gently.  It  is  well  finished,  and  still 
whole  and  staunch.  Did  Helen  Ten  Broeck 
keep  her  laces  in  it  ?  or,  maybe,  her  love-letters  ? 


Scotia  183 

Close  by  are  two  cradles,  one  within  the 
other.  In  one  —  a  child's  cradle — Deborah 
Glen  rocked  her  son  (John  II.),  the  hum  of 
her  flax-wheel  (it  stands  but  a  few  feet  away 
now)  forming  a  lulling  undercurrent  of  sound 
to  the  Scotch  song  learned  from  her  mother. 
The  second  cradle  is  over  six  feet  long,  and  of 
proportionate  width.  The  stout  ribs  and  bars 
.are  of  black  walnut,  and  it  was  constructed 
.according  to  the  orders  of  the  same  John 
Sanders  in  his  infirm  old  age.  For  months 
before  the  end  came,  he  would,  or  could,  sleep 
nowhere  else,  and  was  rocked  to  his  rest 
nightly.  By-and-by  he  was  cradle-ridden,  and 
lay  thus,  swung  gently  to  and  fro  by  his  son 
John  (HI.)  and  his  negro  slaves,  until  senility 
passed  naturally  into  death. 

"Grandma's  Room"  is  a  veritable  museum 
of  curios.  Upon  a  large  round  table  are  rows 
and  groups  and  heaps  of  crockery,  china,  and 
cut  glass,  each  piece  of  which  would  figure 
anywhere  else  as  bric-a-brac  ;  the  washstand 
on  the  other  side  of  the  room  belonged  to 
Robert  Fulton  ;  each  chair,  secretary,  stand, 
and  picture  has  a  story,  mellow  with  the  use 
of  a  century  or  two.  A  triangular  silver  nut 
meg-grater,  "  found  the  other  day  in  a  corner 


184        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  a  drawer,"  still  holds  a  quarter-nutmeg,  left 
after  the  last  toddy  or  sangaree  was  mixed  in 
tankard  or  tumbler,  a  dust  of  the  aromatic 
spice  on  top,  and  quaffed  by  laughing  lips  that 


OLD  PIANOFORTE,  ANTIQUE  CHAIR,   ROBERT  FULTON'S  WASHSTAND 
AND  TOILET-SET. 

have    been    dust — nobody   knows    how    many 
years. 

In  the  adjoining  chamber  Louis  Philippe  slept 
for  a  night  when  an  exiled  prince.  Over  against 
the  bed  hangs  a  mourning-piece  wrought,  stitch 
by  stitch,  in  black  silk  upon  white  satin,  to  the 


Scotia 


185 


memory  of  Philip  Van  Rensselaer  and  Eliza 
beth  Elmendorf.  A  rickety  church  is  in  the 
background ;  a  tomb  in  the  foreground  is 


LOUIS   PHILIPPE'S  BEDROOM    IN   SCOTIA. 


kept  perpendicular  by  the  figure  of  a  weeping 
woman  who  leans  with  all  her  might  against  it. 
A  map  of  the  Colonies,  made  by  the  Eng 
lish  Government,  of  six  sheets  of  paper  pasted 
together ;  a  picture  burnt  into  glass  (a  lost 


1 86        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

art)  of  the  escape  of  /Eneas  from  blazing 
Troy ;  astonishing  shell-work  pictures,  bear 
ing  date  of  1 789,  —  adorn  other  walls.  A 
spinet  is  in  one  corner ;  a  pianoforte  made  in 
England  by  "  Astor,"  in  another.  Hours  might 
be  whiled  away  in  inspection  and  inventorying, 
and  the  half  remain  unseen  and  unlisted.  As 
I  left  the  room  reluctantly,  I  caught  sight  of 
a  pair  of  embroidered  stays,  said  to  have  been 
worn  by  my  adopted  favourite,  Deborah  Glen. 
They  measure  just  eighteen  inches  around. 

Scotia  is  built  of  stone  and  brick,  covered 
with  concrete.  Upon  the  front  outer  wall  are 
wrought-iron  scrolls  forming  the  date  of  con 
struction, 

A.  D.  1713. 

Attached  to  the  scrolls  are  anchor-rods  fast 
ened  deep  in  the  wall  and  holding  it  together. 

If  the  homestead  do  not  stand  firm  for  two 
hundred  years  more  the  fault  cannot  be  laid  at 
the  door  of  founder  or  builder. 


VII 

TWO  SCHUYLER  HOMESTEADS, 
ALBANY,  N.  Y. 

The  city  of  Albany  was  stretched  along  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson  ;  one  very  wide  and  long  street  lay 
parallel  to  the  river,  the  intermediate  space  between 
it  and  the  shore  being  occupied  by  gardens.  A  small 
but  steep  hill  rose  above  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  which 
•stood  a  fort,  intended  (but  very  ill  adapted)  for  the  de 
fense  of  the  place,  and  of  the  neighbouring  country. 

"  The  English  church,  belonging  to  the  episcopal  per 
suasion,  and  in  the  diocese  of  the  bishop  of  London,  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  street." 

1MAKE    the   extracts    from    a    curious    old 
book  seldom  found  nowadays  in  private  li 
braries.    The  title  in  full  runs  thus  :  Memoirs  of 
an  American  Lady,  witJi  Sketches  of  Manners 
and  Scenes  in  America,  as  they  Existed  Pre 
vious  to  the  Revolution,  by  Mrs.  Anne  Grant, 
author  of  Letters  from  the  Mountains,  etc. 
From  the  prefatory  Memoir  of  the  author, 
187 


1 88        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

we  gather  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a 
Scotch  officer,  a  resident  of  the  Colonies  of 
North  America  for  ten  years  or  thereabouts, 
and  that  the  Memoirs  of  an  American  Lady 
were  a  reminiscence  of  the  childish  experi- 


FORT  AND  CHURCH  IN  ALBANY  (1755). 

ences  of  Mrs.  Anne  Grant  "  of  Laggan,"  so 
called  to  distinguish  her  from  another  writer 
of  the  same  surname,  the  author  of  Roys  Wife 
of  Aldivalloch. 

The   recollections  of   the    young  girl   were 
deepened    and  supplemented  by  the  observa- 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        189 

tions  of  her  father  and  mother.  Taken  to 
gether,  they  present  an  excellent  picture  of 
the  social  life  and  customs  of  Central  New 
York  from  1755  to  i  768.1 

She  digresses  ad  libitum ;  she  moralises  in- 
•consequently ;  she  is  invariably  sentimental, 
.and  seldom  graphic  ;  Albert  de  Quincey  says 
she  was  an  "  established  wit,  and  received  in 
cense  from  all  quarters "  ;  and  a  critic  of  her 
day  praised  the  description  given  in  the  rare 
old  volume  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  in 
the  upper  Hudson  as  "quite  Homeric."  Still, 
making  allowance  for  the  out-of-date  style  and 
want  of  sequence  in  the  narrative,  her  book  is 
delightful  and  a  mine  of  wealth  to  the  novelist 
.and  historian  interested  in  that  particular  epoch 
of  our  pre-national  existence. 

The  setting  of  her  discursory  tale  of  An 
.American  Lady  is  the  town  of  Albany,  "a  city 
which  was,  in  short,  a  kind  of  semi-rural  estab 
lishment." 

One  of  the  prettiest  scenes  she  revives  for 
us  is  the  coming  home  of  the  cows  at  sunset 
from  the  common  pasture  at  the  end  of  the 

1  A  later  edition,  revised  by  General  James  Grant  Wilson  and  dedi 
cated  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  V.  L.  Pruyn,  of  Albany,  \vas  published  in 
1876. 


i9°        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

town,  each  with  her  tinkling  bell,  and  each 
turning  in,  of  her  own  motion,  at  the  gate  of 
the  yard  where  she  belonged,  to  be  milked 
in  the  open  air,  while  the  children  waited 
for  their  supper  of  brown  bread  and  milk, 
eaten  in  warm  weather  upon  the  front  door 
step. 

After  sundry  chapters  devoted  to  the  Alba 
nians'  gentle  treatment  of  their  negroes,  Re 
flections  upon  Servitude,  Education  and  Early 
Habits  of  the  Albanians,  First  Adventures  of 
the  Indian  Traders,  Marriages,  Amusements, 
Rural  Excursions,  etc.,  we  are  introduced  for 
mally  in  Chapter  XII.  to  Miss  Schuyler,  who, 
by  the  way,  is  miscalled  "  Catalina."  A  page 
is  given  to  recapitulation  of  her  heroine's 
charms  of  mind  and  person  before  the  author 
is  led  off  from  what  we  had  expected  to  travel 
as  a  main  line,  by  allusion  to  Miss  Schuyler's 
familiarity  with  the  Indian  language  and  her 
benevolence  to  her  Indian  neighbours,  into  a 
ten-page  disquisition  upon  Detached  Indians  : 
Progress  of  Knowledge  and  Indian  Manners. 
By-and-by,  when  we  have  gained  the  goal  of  our 
research,  we  will  turn  back  and  read  these  and 
other  ten  pages  with  lively  interest.  Just  now 
we  push  on  to  Chapter  XIV.  Eye  and  atten- 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        191 

tion  seize  upon  the  quaintly  coy  announce 
ment  that 

"  Miss  S."  (named  plainly  a  dozen  pages  back)  "  had 
the  happiness  to  captivate  her  cousin  Philip,  eldest  son 
of  her  uncle,  who  was  ten  years  older  than  herself,  and 
was  in  all  respects  to  be  accounted  a  suitable  and,  in  the 
worldly  sense,  an  advantageous  match  for  her." 

The  reader  of  this  page  who  has  done  me 
the  previous  honour  of  perusing  Chapter  VII. 
of  the  first  volume  of  Colonial  Homesteads,  may 
recall,  as  therein  recorded,  the  story  of  a  cer 
tain  Margaritta  Van  Slichtenhorst  who  wedded 
another  Philip  Schuyler,  and  afterward,  as  the 
widowed  mother  of  Peter  Schuyler  (nicknamed 
"Quidor,"  or  "  Quidder,"  by  the  Indians), 
routed  four  of  Leisler's  subordinates  and 
"  forced  them  to  flee  out  of  the  towne,"  of 
which  her  son  was  the  rightful  mayor.  "  Miss 
Schuyler,"  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  en 
snare  her  cousin  Philip's  affections,  was  named 
for  her  spirited  grandmother.  Mrs.  Grant's 
memory  confounds  her  Christian  name  with 
that  of  her  younger  sister,  Catalina.  Her  hus 
band  was  the  eldest  son  of  Peter  (II.)  Schuy 
ler  and  his  wife,  Maria  Rensselaer. 

Of  Mrs.  Schuyler's  father,  Johannes,  or  Col 
onel  John  Schuyler,  we  have  already  heard 


i92        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

several  times — always  favourably.  His  in 
fluence  over  the  Indians,  while  not  equal  to 
that  exercised  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  was 
strong  and  beneficial.  Although  but  fifteen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  he 
resembled  him  more  nearly  in  character  and 
in  the  career  upon  which  he  entered  almost 
immediately,  than  any  other  of  the  great 
"  Quidor's  "  children.  He  was  a  brave  fighter, 
.and  the  outspoken  opponent  of  Government 
•officials  whose  measures  threatened  the  wel 
fare  of  the  Colonies  or  the  rights  of  their 
Indian  allies.  It  is  pleasant  to  learn  that  he 
4'  detested  the  infamous  traffic  "  in  scalps  car 
ried  on  by  the  French  and  Indians,  and,  as  we 
have  seen,  not  despised  by  the  English.  His 
petted  daughter  Margaritta  was  fourteen  years 
old  when  Colonel  John  Schuyler  went  to  Mon 
treal  purposely  to  negotiate  the  exchange  of 
Eunice  Williams  (see  Colonial  Homesteads,  p. 
418)  for  two  Indian  children.  His  report  of 
the  ill  success  of  the  most  Christian  enterprise 
opens  our  hearts  still  more  to  him  : 

"  Being  very  sorry  that  I  could  not  prevail 
upon  her,  I  took  her  by  the  hand  and  left 
her." 

One  of  the  many  genealogical  lapses  in  Mrs. 


PETER  SCHUYLER  ("QUIDOR"). 

FROM    ORIGINAL   PAINTING   BY   SIR   GODFREY    KNELLER,    IN   THE   POSSESSION    OF   THE 
SCHUYLER    FAMILY. 


IQ3 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        195 

Grant's  narrative,  which  was  penned  "  unas 
sisted  by  written  memorials,"  is  her  statement 
that  Margaritta  Schuyler  lost  her  father  at  an 
early  age,  and  was  brought  up  by  an  uncle. 

As  Johannes  Schuyler  survived  all  his 
brothers  and  his  own  sons,  dying  in  1 747,  and 
bequeathing  to  his  daughter  "  Margaritta,  wife 
of  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler,  a  picture  of  him 
self  and  his  wife  in  one  frame,"  we  must  apply 
to  our  old  friend  all  the  good  things  the  vener 
able  chronicler  says  of  the  guardian  to  whom 
"  Miss  S.  owed  her  cultivated  taste  for  read 
ing  "  and  knowledge  of  the  "  best  authors  in 
history,  divinity,  and  belles-lettres."  This  be 
comes  apparent  as  we  read  on  and  compare 
with  other  and  careful  histories  of  the  time 
such  sentences  as  these  : 

"  His  frontier  situation  made  him  a  kind  of  barrier 
to  the  settlement,  while  the  powerful  influence  that  his 
knowledge  of  nature  and  of  character,  his  sound  judg 
ment  and  unstained  integrity  had  obtained  over  both 
parties,  made  him  the  bond  by  which  the  aborigines  were 
united  with  the  colonists." 

This  is,  undoubtedly,  the  half-length  por 
trait  of  our  dear  Colonel  John,  or  Johannes, 
as  the  Albanians  called  him  :  valiant  in  war 
fare,  tender  in  treaty ;  his  heart  swelling  until 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


he  could  not  speak,  at  thought  of  the  news  he 
must  bear  back  to  his  old  friend,  Parson  Wil 
liams,  of  his  sullenly  obstinate  daughter,  yet 
withstanding  to  the  face  tyrant  governors,  and 
detesting  with  the  full  force  of  his  ardent  na 
ture  the  infernal  barter  of  scalps  for  the  white 
man's  gold  and  fire-water. 

He  it  was  who  gave  his  daughter  in  mar 
riage  to  her  cousin  Philip  in  1719.     She  was 

eighteen  ;  her  hus 
band,  according  to 
Mrs.  Grant,  twenty- 
eight.  Other  au 
thorities  give  his 
age  as  twenty-three, 
as  he  was  born  in 
1696. 

In  following  the 
lines  of  Philip 
Schuyler's  character 
and  deeds,  we  can 
not  avoid  tracing,  in 

^loSC       parallels,       his 

history  and  that  of 
only  lawful  son  of 
occupying,  as  he 


p  PIETERSEN 

COMMISSARIS 

4  <5 


SCHUYLER  COAT  OF  ARMS. 


Isaac,  the  estimable  and 
the  patriarch  Abraham, 
does,  an  intermediate  place  between  two  men 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        197 

of  note,  Peter  Quidor  and  General  Philip 
Schuyler. 

His  kinsman,  George  W.  Schuyler,  the  au 
thor  of  Colonial  New  York,  writes  : 

"  He  held  a  prominent  position  in  the  province  many 
years.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  commissioner  of 
Indian  affairs,  but  not  to  his  influence  among  the  Five 
Nations.  They  respected  him  for  his  high  character 
and  integrity,  but  did  not  defer  implicitly  to  his 
counsel." 

Mrs.  Grant  testifies  to  his  "  mild,  benevo 
lent  character  and  excellent  understanding, 

o' 

which  had  received  more  culture  than  was 
usual  in  the  country." 

"  His  close  intimacy  with  the  De  Lanceys 
made  him  unpopular  with  Governor  Clinton 
and  his  party."  It  might  be  said  with  more 
exact  truthfulness,  that  he  was  not  in  favour 
with  the  governmental  party,  for  the  feeling 
never  grew  into  active  hostility.  He  was  ag 
gressive  in  nothing. 

The  home  of  the  happily  wedded  pair  was 
upon  "  the  Flatts,"  a  wide  stretch  of  meadow- 
land  and  forest,  about  three  miles  from  Albany. 
It  was  natural  that  the  Dutch  settlers  should 
select  level  ground  as  building-sites,  and,  when 
practicable,  set  their  houses  near  the  water. 


198        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

It  may  have  been  as  natural,  for  a  contrary 
reason,  that  the  Highland-born  child,  Anne 
MacVicar,  should  have  treasured,  all  her  life 
long,  the  memory  of  what  was  to  her  eyes  a 
scene  of  unexampled  beauty.  "  Colonel  Schuy- 
ler  possessed,"  she  says,  "  about  two  miles  on 
a  stretch  of  that  rich  and  level  champain." 
She  grows  almost  "  Homeric  "  in  her  ecstasy 
over  the  mingling  of  "  the  wild  magnificence 
of  nature  amidst  the  smiling  scenes  produced 
by  varied  and  successful  cultivation."  Besides 
the  Schuyler's  mainland  plantation  they  owned 
an  island,  a  mile  long  and  a  quarter-mile  wide, 
the  haunt  most  delighted  in  by  our  author  in 
her  girlhood. 

"  Imagine  a  little  Egypt,  yearly  overflowed,  and  of  the 
most  redundant  fertility.  It  produced,  with  a  slight  de 
gree  of  culture,  the  most  abundant  crops  of  wheat,  hay, 
and  flax,  and  was  a  most  valuable  fishing-place.  The 
background  of  the  landscape  was  a  solemn  and  inter 
minable  forest,  varied,  here  and  there,  by  rising  grounds, 
near  streams  where  birch  and  hickory,  maple  and  pop 
lar,  cheered  the  eye  with  a  lighter  green,  through  the  pre 
vailing  shade  of  dusky  pines." 

As  the  heart  of  the  paradise,  stood  the 
roomy  brick  house  of  two  stories  and  an  attic, 
that  yet — the  reminiscent  annalist  admits— 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads       201 

'had  no  pretension  to  grandeur,  and  very 
little  to  elegance."  The  "  large  portico,  with 
a  few  steps  leading  up  to  it  and  floored  like  a 
room,"  known  to  the  Dutch  as  a  "  stoop," 
which  word  she  seems  never  to  have  caught, 
was  a  pleasing  novelty  to  her.  She  lingers 
fondly  upon  the  vine-roofed  "  appendage  com 
mon  to  all  houses  belonging  to  persons  in  easy 
circumstances  here."  A  shelf  under  the  eaves 
was  built  for  the  express  accommodation  of 
the  "  little  birds  domesticated  there." 

The  extension  in  the  rear  of  the  house  was 
the  refuge  of  the  family  in  winter  when  the 
"spacious  summer  rooms  would  have  been  in 
tolerably  cold,  and  the  smoke  of  prodigious 
wood-fires  would  have  sullied  the  elegantly 
clean  furniture."  Behind  the  family  residence 
were  the  servants'  houses,  immense  barns,  and 
stables. 

Such  was  the  home  over  which  Margaritta 
Schuyler  presided — a  gracious  queen  in  her 
circle,  the  best  in  Albany  and  in  the  Province 

—for  over  twenty  years,  before  adversity  came 
near  enough  to  her  to  darken  or  chasten  her 
buoyant  spirit.  A  part  of  each  winter  was 
spent  in  New  York,  a  month  or  two,  in  spring" 
and  autumn,  in  the  handsome  house  in  Albany 


202       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

belonging  to  her  husband.  Occasionally,  the 
home  at  "  The  Flatts  "  was  closed  for  the  whole 
winter.  She  always  came  back  to  it  gladly. 
The  only  drawback  to  her  wedded  happiness 
was  that  she  had  no  children  of  her  own,  but 
there  were  nephews  and  nieces  in  such  abund 
ance  in  the  large  family  connection  that  the 
house,  if  not  the  great  loving  heart  of  the  mis 
tress,  was  always  full  and  gay  with  young  faces 
and  merry  voices.  By  the  time  she  was  forty 
she  was  "Aunt  Schuyler"  to  scores  of  young 
Albanians  besides  those  who  had  the  claim  of 
blood-kindred  upon  her.  The  Lady  Bounti 
ful  of  the  few  poor  whites  and  the  many 
dusky  neighbours  wrho  looked  to  her  for  help 
and  counsel,  she  shone,  a  star  of  the  first 
magnitude,  in  English  assemblies,  by  virtue  of 
her  perfect  breeding  and  her  sunny  nature 
and  conversational  talents.  She  was,  par  (Emi 
nence,  the  leading  spirit  in  the  homelier  cliques 
of  Albany  worthies'  society,  as  well  sketched 
in  Florence  Wilford's  Dominie  Frelinghausen 
as  early  New  England  coteries  in  Old  Town 
Folks. 

Her  Scotch  eulogist  pays  a  well-merited 
tribute  to  Madam  Schuyler's  grace  of  adapta 
tion  to  her  environment : 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads       203 

'"  It  was  one  of  Aunt  Schuyler's  many  singular  merits 
that,  after  acting  for  a  time  a  distinguished  part  in  this 
•comparatively  refined  society," — that  of  English  officers 
.and  New  York  fashionables, — "  where  few  were  so  much 
-admired  and  esteemed,  she  could  return  to  the  homely 
good  sense  and  primitive  manners  of  her  fellow  citizens 
at  Albany,  free  from  fastidiousness  and  disgust." 

The  even  tenor  of  a  beautiful  life  was 
broken  up  by  the  French  and  Indian  War. 
In  1/47,  while  Colonel  Schuyler  was  on  duty 
as  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Assembly  in 
New  York  City,  Madam  Schuyler  was  in  peril 
'of  life  and  property  from  marauding  bands  of 
•savages.  Cattle  were  killed  and  driven  away 
from  neighbouring  farms  ;  solitary  travellers  on 
the  road  between  Albany  and  Schenectady 
were  murdered  and,  of  course,  scalped,  scalps 
being  legal  tender  from  the  Indians  to  the 
French  Government.  By  the  orders  of  the  ab 
sent  master,  The  Flatts  was  stockaded  to  ac- 
•commodate  a  hundred  men,  and  a  company  of 
British  soldiers  was  stationed  there  for  a  few 
weeks.  Orders  were  then  sent  for  their  with 
drawal  that  they  might  join  other  troops  at 
Greenbush.  Madam  Schuyler  made  a  per 
sonal  appeal  to  the  officers  in  command  to 
leave  a  guard  in  her  house,  and,  when  this 
•was  unavailing,  petitioned  the  Council  in  New 


204       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

York  for  protection  until  she  could  remove 
her  effects  to  Albany.  The  Council  laid  the 
case  before  Governor  Clinton,  who  "gave  an 
evasive  reply  and  left  the  troops  at  Green- 
bush."  The  deserted  fort  at  the  Flatts  owed 
its  safety  to  the  fidelity  of  the  Mohawks  at 
tached  to  the  Colonel  and  his  wife  by  years  of 
kindness  and  mutual  good  will. 

In  1755,  while  the  expedition  to  Crown 
Point  was  organising,  a  force  of  three  thou 
sand  provincials  was  encamped  about  Albany, 
most  of  them  on  grounds  belonging  to  Colonel 
Schuyler.  Within  sight  of  the  upper  windows 
of  The  Flatts,  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  war 
paint  and  blanket,  led  his  Mohawks  in  the 
war-dance  about  the  council-fire.  An  ox— 
perhaps  from  the  herds  fattened  upon  the 
Schuyler  meadows — was  roasted  whole  in  the 
open  air,  and  Sir  William  with  his  sword  hewed 
off  the  first  slice  for  the  feast,  or  gorge,  that 
followed. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  if  they  fight  as  eagerly  as 
they  ate  their  ox  and  drank  their  wine  !  "  was 
the  dry  comment  of  a  New  England  spectator. 

In  1758,  the  house  itself  was  filled  with  sol 
diers.  Companies  were  encamped  upon  the 
lawn  and  in  the  barns  ;  their  officers  were  the 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        205 

guests  of  the  widowed  mistress  of  The  Flatts. 
Colonel  Philip  Schuyler  had  gone  to  his  final 
rest  in  February  of  that  year.  The  turmoils 
of  wars  and  threatening  of  wars  granted  his 
wife  no  leisure  for  mourning.  Ticonderoga 
was  to  be  attacked — "  Taken,"  said  the  con 
fident  leader  of  the  expedition.  The  first 
detachment  quartered  upon  the  premises,  fort 
unately  for  but  one  night,  was  led  by  Colonel 
Charles  Lee.  In  recalling  his  subsequent  ca 
reer  as  aide-de-camp  to  the  King  of  Poland, 
Russian  officer  and  duelist,  treasonable  pris 
oner  in  a  British  camp,  insolent  and  insubor 
dinate  runaway  at  the  Battle  of  Monmouth, 
~we  smile  grimly  at  our  gentle  Mrs.  Grant's  epi 
gram,  "  Lee,  of  frantic  celebrity."  Unlike  the 
rest  of  the  officers,  he  made  no  pretense  of 
paying  for  food  for  his  men  and  horses,  but 
foraged,  as  in  an  enemy's  country,  and  when 
Madam  Schuyler  mildly  remonstrated  with 
him  on  the  spoliation  of  her  property,  swore 
violently  to  her  face. 

"  Her  countenance  never  altered,"  the  nar 
rative  continues,  "  and  she  used  every  argu 
ment  to  restrain  the  rage  of  her  domestics  and 
the  clamour  of  her  neighbours,  who  were 
treated  in  the  same  manner." 


206        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  second  detachment  was  commanded  by 
the  young  Lord  Howe,  "  the  noblest  English 
man  that  has  appeared  in  my  time,  and  the 
best  soldier  in  the  British  army,"  wrote  Gen 
eral  Wolfe  to  his  father.  "  A  character  of 
ancient  times,"  said  Pitt  to  Grenville.  "  A 
complete  model  of  military  virtues."  To  his 
indignant  comments  upon  Lee's  behaviour, 
Madam  Schuyler  replied,  temperately  and 
gracefully,  that  she  "  could  not  be  captious, 
with  her  deliverers  from  the  danger  so  immi 
nent," — the  advance  of  the  French — "  on  ac 
count  of  a  single  instance  of  irregularity." 
She  "  only  regretted  that  they  should  have 
deprived  her  of  her  wonted  pleasure  in  freely 
bestowing  whatever  could  advance  the  service 
or  refresh  the  exhausted  troops." 

Hostess  and  guest  grew  very  fond  of  one 
another  during  Lord  Howe's  brief  visit.  On 

o 

the  morning  of  his  departure,  Madam  ap 
peared  in  season  for  the  breakfast  eaten  in 
the  grey  of  the  July  dawn,  and  served  him 
with  her  own  hands.  "  I  will  not  object," 
smiled  the  young  nobleman.  "  It  is  hard  to 
say  when  I  shall  again  breakfast  with  a 
lady." 

At  parting,  she  kissed  him  as  she  might  her 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        207 

son,    and    could    not    restrain    her    tears — "  a 
weakness  she  did  not  often  give  way  to." 

The  disastrous  battle  was  fought  July  8, 
1758.  Three  days  afterward,  "  Pedrom," 
Colonel  Schuyler's  brother,  like  the  rest  of 
the  household,  on  the  feverish  alert,  saw  a 
bare-headed  express  rider  galloping  madly 
along  the  road  from  the  north,  and  ran  down 
the  lane  leading  to  the  highway,  to  challenge 
him  for  news.  The  messenger  shrieked  out 
one  sentence  without  pausing  : 

11  Lord  Howe  is  killed!  " 

"  The  death  of  that  one  man  was  the  ruin 
of  fifteen  thousand,"  says  a  historian.  And  a 
contemporary, — "  In  Lord  Howe  the  soul  of 
General  Abercrombie's  army  seemed  to  ex 
pire." 

Madam  Schuyler  mourned  for  him  with 
bitterness  amazing  even  to  those  who  knew 
her  admiration  for  "  his  merit  and  magnanim 
ity."  She  was  aroused  from  her  grief  and 
became  her  majestic,  efficient  self  when  trans 
ports,  that  same  evening,  brought  down  the 
river,  and  to  her  door,  a  host  of  the  wounded, 
some  dangerously  hurt,  and  among  the  killed 
the  beloved  young  leader.  His  body  lay  in  a 
darkened  room  in  the  mansion  until  it  was 


208       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

borne  away  for  burial.  The  great  barn  and 
every  other  outhouse  were  fitted  up  as  hospi 
tals.  Madam  Schuyler  tore  up  bed-  and 
table-linen  for  bandages,  and  scraped  lint  with 
her  young  nieces,  which  they  applied  under 
the  surgeon's  directions,  while  all  her  servants 
were  kept  busy  cooking  and  otherwise  attend 
ing  to  the  wants  of  the  sufferers.  Lee  was 
among  the  wounded,  and  Madam  treated 
him  with  especial  tenderness,  not  a  word  or 
a  look  reminding  him  of  how  they  had  parted. 
"  He  swore  in  his  vehement  manner,"  our 
chronicler  says  primly,  "  that  he  was  sure  there 
would  be  a  place  reserved  for  Madam  in 
heaven,  though  no  other  woman  should  be 
there,  and  that  he  should  wish  for  nothing 
better  than  to  share  her  final  destiny." 

In  the  year  following  the  Battle  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  Madam  Schuyler  and  the  city  of  Al 
bany  sustained  a  serious  loss  in  the  strange 
departure  of  Dominie  Frelinghausen  (other 
wise  Frelinghuysen)  for  Holland.  The  event 
was  characteristic  of  him  and  of  the  commun 
ity  in  which  he  laboured.  The  younger  mem 
bers  of  his  flock  had  danced  at  a  ball  given  by 
the  English  officers  quartered  in  Albany,  and, 
although  warned  and  reprimanded  by  him,  car- 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        209 

ried  recalcitrancy  to  the  wicked  extent  of  at 
tending  amateur  theatricals  gotten  up  by  the 
same  tempters  to  worldly  dissipations.  The 
dominie  preached  openly  and  admonished  pri 
vately  with  such  vehemence  that  a  graceless 
sinner  left  upon  his  door-step  one  night  a  walk 
ing-stick,  a  pair  of  stout  shoes,  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  four  shillings  done  up  in  paper.  He  in 
terpreted  the  gift  as  it  was  meant  to  be  taken, 
as  a  token  that  his  work  in  this  cure  of  souls 
was  ended,  and  that  he  must  betake  himself  to 
some  other  field.  Cut  to  the  quick  of  a  sensi 
tive  nature  by  the  hint  and  the  manner  of  con 
veying  it,  he  took  leave  of  no  one,  but  sailed 
the  next  week  for  Holland,  and  was  lost  on 
the  voyage. 

Another  calamity  befell  the  mistress  of  The 
Flatts  in  1763,  in  the  destruction  of  her  house 
by  fire.  An  officer,  riding  out  from  Albany 
to  pay  his  respects  to  her,  found  her  seated  in 
an  arm-chair  under  one  of  the  cherry-trees  that 
lined  the  short  lane,  unconscious  of  what  the 
horseman  had  espied  from  the  highway,  the 
heavy  smoke  rising  from  the  roof  of  the  build 
ing  behind  her.  When  he  called  her  attention 
to  it,  she  summoned  all  the  servants  and,  still 
seated,  issued  her  orders  with  such  directness 


210       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

and  composure  that  nearly  all  the  contents  of 
the  dwelling  were  saved,  although  nothing  was 
left  of  the  building  except  the  outer  walls. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in  which 
Madam  Schuyler  was  held  by  all  classes,  we 
are  told  that  in  a  few  days  the  materials  needed 
for  the  construction  of  the  new  house  were 
sent  to  her  by  various  friends,  and  the  Com 
mandant  in  Albany  detailed  "  some  of  the 
King's  workmen  "  to  assist  in  the  reconstruc 
tion.  The  new  house  was  almost  an  exact  re 
production  of  the  old,  having  been  built  upon 
the  original  foundations. 

"  It  stands  a  few  rods  from  the  river-bank, 
facing  the  east,  and  has  the  same  aspect  as 
when  built  more  than  a  century  ago." 

Margaritta  Schuyler  was  seventy-five  years 
of  age  when  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  signed.  Mrs.  Grant  more  than  intimates 
that  the  "  war,  which  everyone,  whatever  side 
they  may  have  taken  at  the  time,  must  look 
back  on  with  disgust  and  horror,"  was  "  abhor 
rent  to  the  feelings  and  principles "  of  her 
"  American  Lady." 

"  She  was,  by  that  time,  too  venerable  as 
well  as  respectable  to  be  insulted  for  her  prin 
ciples,"  her  eulogist  asserts,  "  for  not  to  esteem 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        213 

Aunt  Schuyler  was  to  forfeit  all  pretensions  to 
estimation." 

Her  fellow  tribesman,  Mr.  G.  W.  Schuyler, 
declares  that  "she  was  not  a  Tory  in  the  broad 
sense  of  the  word.  She  took  middle  ground, 
and  hoped  that  a  way  might  be  found  for 
reconciliation." 

She  died,  full  of  years  and  honours,  in  1782, 
almost  eighty-two  years  of  age. 

No  household  word  is  more  pleasantly  fa 
miliar  than  "  Aunt  Schuyler's  "  name  in  the 
old  home  still  tenanted  by  those  of  her  name 
and  blood.  We  link  it  with  that  of  Mrs.  Anne 
Grant  of  Laggan  as  we  stroll  through  the  low 
browed,  spacious  rooms.  Upon  the  footstool 
of  the  stately  gentlewoman,  there  sits  for  us 
the  eager-eyed  child,  modulating  her  Scotch 
accent  to  harmonise  with  the  softer  voice  of 
her  idolised  mentor,  "  whom  she  already  con 
sidered  as  her  polar  star."  Each  of  us  has  an 
anecdote  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  pair,  oddly 
matched  as  to  age,  but  friends  in  heart,  and 
destined  to  be  bound  together  in  all  of  their 
history  that  is  preserved  for  us. 

The  present  mistress  of  The  Flatts  is  the 
widow  of  Richard  Schuyler,  Esq.  With  her 
four  young  daughters  she  leads  a  peaceful, 


214       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

happy  life  in  the  dear  old  house  peopled  with 
august  shades.  Family  portraits  are  upon  the 
walls  ;  wealth  of  family  silver  in  buffets  and  on 
tables  and  sideboards  ;  fragile  treasures  of  old 
china  and  glass  that  may  have  been  used  by 
repentant — always  profane — Lee,  or  graced 
the  hasty  repast  eaten  by  candle-light,  where 
Madam  poured  out  coffee  for  the  gallant 
young  soldier  who  was  not  to  take  breakfast 
again  with  a  lady  this  side  of  eternity. 

Mrs.  Grant  is  seldom  caustic.  She  must 
have  been  a  genial,  as  well  as  a  clever,  old 
lady.  But  there  is  a  bite,  and  a  sharp  one, 
in  this  entry  in  her  bewitching  Memoirs  of 
manifold  things  and  people  besides  her  adored 
Aunt  Schuyler. 

"  Sir  Henry  Moore,  the  last  British  Governor  of  New 
York  that  I  remember,  came  up  this  summer"  (1765) 
"  to  see  Albany,  and  the  ornament  of  Albany,  Aunt 
Schuyler.  He  brought  Lady  Moore  and  his  daughter 
with  him.  They  resided  for  some  time  at  General 
Schuyler's.  I  call  him  so  by  anticipation,  for  sure  I 
am,  had  any  gifted  seer  foretold  then  what  was  to  hap 
pen,  he  would  have  been  ready  to  answer,  Is  thy  servant 
a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this  thing  ?  " 

General  Philip  Schuyler  was  the  son  of  Jo 
hannes  (II.)  Schuyler  and  Cornelia  Van  Cort- 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        215 

landt,  and  the  favourite  nephew  of  his  Aunt 
Margaritta.  His  uncle-in-law,  her  husband, 
showed  his  fondness  for  him  by  leaving  him 
in  his  will  (date  of  1 766)  a  part  of  the  Schuy 
ler  estate,  consisting  of  land  lying  between 
Albany  and  West  Troy.  Madam  Schuyler 
made  him  (1782)  one  of  her  ten  legatees.  Be 
sides  these  and  his  patrimonial  inheritance,  he 
was  the  owner  of  about  ten  thousand  acres, 
purchased  at  different  times  by  himself,  part 
of  this  from  the  estate  of  Jacob  Glen.  He 
was,  then,  a  rich  man,  when  he  cast  his  fort 
unes  and  his  sword  into  the  scales  on  the  side 
of  American  independence. 

What  followed  is  an  integral  part  of  the  his 
tory  of  our  country.  The  simple  recital  of  his 
deeds  in  war  and  in  peace  would  fill  more  than 
the  space  assigned  to  a  whole  chapter  of  this 
work. 

Mrs.  Grant  mentions  that  he  had,  prior  to 
1765,  "  built  a  house  near  Albany  in  the  Eng 
lish  taste,  comparatively  magnificent."  This, 
the  Schuyler  mansion,  was  erected  in  1760-61. 
It  has  suffered  marvellously  few  and  slight 
changes  during  the  century-and-a-third  that 
has  brought  Albany  up  to  its  foundations,  and 
so  far  beyond  that  it  is  now  in  the  heart  of 


216        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

our  beautiful  capital  city.  Even  in  adapting 
the  interior  to  the  usages  and  needs  of  the 

o 

Roman  Catholic  sisterhood  that  has  con 
verted  it  into  a  refuge  for  orphan  children,  the 
size  and  arrangement  of  the  rooms  remain  as 
they  were  when  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Moore 
were  the  guests  of  the  then  Colonel  Philip 
Schuyler,  and  Madam,  his  honoured  aunt, 
drove  in  her  chariot-and-four  from  The  Flatts 
to  dine  with  them. 

From  the  great  central  hall,  the  lofty  ceil 
ings  of  which  must  have  given  a  sense  of  vast- 
ness  to  Madam  Schuyler's  eyes,  used  to  her 
raftered,  low-pitched  rooms,  we  turn  to  the 
left  into  what  is  now  the  chapel  of  the  sister 
hood.  The  attendant  kneels,  her  face  towards 
the  altar,  and  crosses  herself.  She  has  whis 
pered  at  the  door,  that  we  will  "  please  not 
speak."  The  caution  was  not  needed.  We 
stand  with  bowed  heads  and  hearts  under 
the  weight  of  thoughts  that  met  us  upon  the 
threshold. 

For  here,  in  1777,  the  martial  host  enter 
tained  for  days  together,  as  guests,  although 
prisoners  of  war,  Burgoyne  and  his  officers, 
the  Baroness  Riedesel  and  her  children,  sent 
thither  for  safe-keeping,  after  the  Battle  of  ' 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads       219 

Saratoga.  Here  met  and  talked  and  planned, 
for  the  public  good,  such  leaders  of  the  Re 
volution  as  Washington,  Lafayette,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  Israel 
Putnam,  Charles  Lee,  and — Benedict  Arnold. 
Hither  came  a-wooing  the  most  eloquent  of 
the  ambitious  youths  of  the  embryo  repub 
lic,  Alexander  Hamilton.  He  and  Elizabeth 
Schuyler  must  have  paced  the  lordly  rooms 
times  without  number,  and  often  whispered  of 
love  in  the  embrasured  windows,  before  the 
evening  when  they  stood  together,  where  the 
altar  is  now,  to  be  pronounced  man  and  wife. 
That  was  in  1 780.  The  next  year  there  was 
a  family  party  here  to  celebrate  the  christen 
ing  of  Catherine  Van  Rensselaer  Schuyler, 
the  baby  daughter  of  General  Schuyler  and 
his  wife,  whose  youngest  born  was  her  name- 
child.  General  and  Lady  Washington  were 
sponsors  for  the  wee  lady,  an  honour  never 
forgotten  by  her  down  to  a  ripe  old  age. 

Within  our  memory,  Ex-President  Millard 
Fillmore  was  married  here  to  Mrs.  Mclntosh, 
to  whom  the  mansion  then  belonged. 

None  of  these  things  move  us  to  such  grave 
meditation  as  the,  to  us,  central  fact  of  Alex 
ander  Hamilton's  marriage  with  the  second 


220       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

daughter  of  the  house,  whom  his  violent  tak- 
ing-off  left  a  widow,  when  his  fame  was  at  the 
brightest.  Nor  do  we  forget  that  this  bloody 
death  of  the  son-in-law  who  was  as  his  own 
child,  and  of  whom  he  was,  if  possible,  more 
proud  than  fond,  broke  General  Philip  Schuy- 
ler's  heart.  Burr's  bullet  found  a  second  vic 
tim  in  him.  The  duel  was  fought  July  n, 
1804.  General  Schuyler  died  in  November 
of  the  same  year,  "  never  having  recovered 
from  the  shock." 

Mrs.  Anne  Grant  of  Laggan  (rest  her 
charitable  soul  !)  cannot  withhold  a  poetical 
lament  from  him  whom  she  labels  as  a  "  bright 
exception  that,  after  all,  only  confirms  the  rule 
of  a  society  coarse  and  homely,  and  univer 
sal  dulness  of  the  new  nation,  unrelieved  save 
by  the  phosphoric  lightnings  of  the  deistical 
Franklin,  the  legitimate  father  of  the  Ameri 
can  "age  of  calculation." 

"  Forgive  me,  shade  of  the  accomplished 
Hamilton!"  she  cries,  after  the  philippic 
against  his  countrymen.  "  While  all  that  is 
lovely  in  virtue,  all  that  is  honourable  in  val 
our,  and  all  that  is  admirable  in  talent,  con 
spire  to  lament  the  early  setting  of  that 
western  star ! " 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads        221 

Above-stairs,  we  see  the  chamber  in  which 
Burgoyne  slept  during  his  honourable  captiv 
ity,  and,  gazing  into  the  street  below,  men 
tally  compare  the  scene  with  that  which 
weaned  his  English  eyes  pending  his  ex 
change  and  release. 

o 

The  handsome  reception-room  opposite  the 
chapel  is  wainscoted  up  to  the  ceiling  over 
the  high  mantel  ;  there  are  deep,  inviting  win 
dow-seats  in  this  and  in  the  dining-hall.  What 
were  the  state  bed-chambers  are  furnished 
with  small  white  cots.  The  "  almost  magnifi 
cent  "  mansion  is  full  of  pleasant  murmurings 
that  make  one  think  of  a  dove-cote. 

At  the  foot  of  the  staircase  we  are  con 
fronted  with  yet  another  hacked  stair-rail. 
The  attendant  tradition,  upheld  by  a  respon 
sible  writer  in  the  Magazine  of  American  His 
tory  for  July,  1884,  is  of  a  midnight  attack  by 
Tories  and  Indians  upon  General  Schuyler's 
house,  with  the  purpose  of  securing  his  person. 
The  family,  awakened  by  the  noise  of  their  en 
trance,  retreated  to  an  upper  chamber,  from 
the  window  of  which  the  General  fired  a  pistol 
to  alarm  the  garrison  in  the  town.  As  Mrs. 
Schuyler  reached  the  room  she  missed  baby 
Catherine,  and  was,  with  difficulty,  held  back 


222        More  Colonial  Homesteads 


by  her  husband  from  rushing  down-stairs  to 
find   her.      Margaritta,    the   third  daughter,   a 

young  woman 
twenty-three 
years  of  age, 
slipped  past  her 
father  and  flew 
clown  the  stair- 
case  to  the 
cradle  on  the 
first  floor.  In 
the  dim  light  she 
was  notper- 
c  e  i  v  e  d  by  the 
party  searching 
the  lower  part  of 
the  house,  and, 
i  n c identally, 
stealing  silver 

and  other  valuables,  until  she  gained  the  stairs 
on  her  way  back,  the  baby  clasped  in  her  arms. 
Then  an  Indian  hurled  a  tomahawk  at  her  with 
such  good  will  that  it  buried  itself  in  the  railing. 
The  brave  girl  cried  out  to  the  raiders  as 
she  ran,  that  her  father  had  gone  to  arouse 
the  town,  and  escaped  with  her  prize  to  the 
upper  room.  The  General,  taking  the  cue,. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  PHILIP  SCHUYLER. 

FROM    A    PAINTING    BY    COL.    TRUMBULL. 


Two  Schuyler  Homesteads       223 

shouted  the  word  of  command  through  the 
open  window,  and  the  miscreants  fled,  bearing 
off  as  much  of  the  family  plate  with  them  as 
they  could  carry. 

"  Why," — asks  one  of  us,  struggling  to  keep 
down  the  rising  sense  of  the  ridiculous  excited 
by  this  third  mutilated  rail, — "  Why  should  a 
tomahawk  have  an  especial  proclivity  for 
balustrades  ?  " 

Yet,  seriously,  the  reason  is  plain.  The 
staircase,  as  I  have  said  elsewhere,  was  a  con 
spicuous  feature  in  the  colonial  homestead, 
and  a  permanent.  Hacked  walls  and  doors 
have  been  renewed,  and  broken  furniture 
mended,  or  thrown  away.  The  mute  remain 
ing  witnesses  to  barbarities  that  curdle  our 
blood  in  the  telling  and  the  hearing  are  not 
to  be  lightly  esteemed.  They  are  illustrated 
history. 


VIII 

DOUGHOREGAN  MANOR:  THE  CARROLL 
HOMESTEAD,  MARYLAND 

IN  the  Maryland  Gazette  of  Thursday,  Feb 
ruary    14,     1765,    appeared    a    paragraph, 
which  would  now  figure  among  society  items  : 
"  Tuesday  night,  arrived  at  his  father's  house 
in  Town,  Charles  Carroll,   Jun'r  Esq.    (lately 
from  London  by  way  of  Virginia)  after  about 
sixteen  years'  absence  from  his  Native  country 
at  his  studies  and  on  his  Travels." 

The  Maryland  Gazette  was  published  at 
Annapolis,  then  an  inconsiderable  town.  The 
best  house  in  it  (still  standing)  was  the  re 
sidence  of  Charles  Carroll,  Senior,  generally 
known  in  the  American  line  as  "  Carroll  of 
Annapolis."  This  gentleman,  in  letters  writ 
ten  to  his  absent  son,  two  and  three  years  be 
fore  the  date  set  down  above,  gives  an  abstract 
of  the  family  history.  The  traveller  had  insti- 


Doughoregan  Manor 


225 


tuted  inquiries  into  the  pedigree  of  what  he 
knew  to  be  a  good  old  Irish  house,  and  ap 
pealed  to  his  father  for  assistance : 

"  I  find  by  history,  as  well  as  by  the  genealogy," 
wrote  the  latter,  "  that  the  country  of  Ely  O'Carroll  and 
Dirguill  which  comprehended 
most  of  the  Kings'  and  Queen's 
countys,  were  the  territories, 
and  that  they  were  princes 
thereof.  .  .  .  Your  grand 
father  left  Europe  and  arrived 
in  Maryland,  October  ist, 
1688,  with  the  commission  of 
Attorney  -  General.  He,  on 
the  i9th  of  February,  1693, 
married  Mary  Darn  all,  the 
daughter  of  Colonel  Henry 
Barnall.  I  was  born  April 
2nd,  1702.  Your  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Clement 
Brooke  Esq.,  of  Prince  George's  County  ;  you  were  born, 
September  8th,  1737.  This  is  as  much  as  I  can  furnish 
towards  our  pedigree,  with  the  translation  I  obtained  in 
Paris." 

Miss  Kate  Mason  Rowland,  in  her  valuable 
biography  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  sup 
plies  us  with  particulars  which  were  too  well 
known  to  the  young  student-wanderer  to  need 
repetition.  From  these  we  gather  that  Charles 
(I.)  Carroll  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  at 


CARROLL  COAT  OF  ARMS. 


226        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  date  of  his  immigration  (1688)  ;  that  he 
had  been  educated,  for  the  most  part,  in 
France  ;  after  leaving  the  French  university 
he  was  admitted  as  a  student  to  the  Inner 
Temple  in  London,  in  1685,  and,  when  his 
term  there  was  over,  was  secretary  to  Lord 
Powis,  one  of  the  ministers  of  James  II.  By 
his  patron's  advice  he  emigrated  to  America, 
recommended  to  Charles  Calvert,  "  the  Lord 
Baron  of  Baltimore."  The  Irishman  landed 
upon  our  shores  at  an  unlucky  time.  One 
month  later  the  proprietary  government  of 
Lord  Baltimore  was  set  aside  by  orders  from 
England,  and  Charles  Carroll  found  his  com 
mission  as  Attorney-General  worthless.  Loy 
alty  to  his  chief  and  to  his  religion  wrought 
with  his  Celtic  blood  to  get  him  into  much 
and  various  sorts  of  trouble  in  the  ensuing 
decade.  He  wrote  letters  to  Baltimore  of 
indignant  sympathy  ;  he  made  hot-headed 
speeches  against  the  leaders  of  "  the  Protes 
tant  Revolution  "  ;  he  sneered  at  the  pettiness 
of  the  party  in  power,  managing  by  these  and 
other  imprudences  to  get  into  prison  more 
than  once,  into  disfavour  with  anti-Catholic 
officials,  and  so  to  endear  himself  to  the  de 
posed,  but  still  wealthy  and  powerful,  Balti- 


Doughoregan  Manor  227 

more,  that  he  secured  for  his  partisan  in  1699 
a  grant  to  the  estates  incorporated,  finally,  un 
der  the  name  of  Doughoregan  (then  spelled 
Doororegan)  Manor.  Furthermore,  a  part  of 
this  grant  was  coupled  with  the  remark  that  it 
was  purposely  assigned  as  near  as  possible  to 
one  of  his  Lordship's  own  manors,  in  order 
that  he,  Baltimore,  might  have  "the  benefit 
of  Mr.  Carroll's  society." 

His  grandson-namesake  of  Carrollton  adds 
that  his  ancestor  was,  also,  made  "  Lord  Balti 
more's  Agent,  Receiver-General,  Keeper  of 
the  Great  Seal,  and  Register  of  the  Land 
Office.  He  enjoyed  these  appointments  until 
the  year  1717,  when  the  Government  and  As 
sembly  passed  Laws  depriving  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  their  remaining  privileges." 

Charles  (I.)  Carroll  married  twice.  His  first 
wife  died  in  1690,  leaving  no  issue.  His  sec 
ond,  Mary  Darnall,  bore  him  ten  children  in 
the  first  twenty  years  of  their  wedded  life,  half 
of  whom  died  in  childhood.  Henry,  the  heir- 
apparent,  was  educated  abroad,  and  died  on 
the  homeward  voyage,  "within  about  six  days' 
saile  of  the  Capes  of  Virginia,"  in  the  twenty- 
third  year  of  his  age.  His  brother  Charles 
(II.),  then  but  seventeen,  had  been  left  at  the 


228        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Jesuit  College  of  St.  Omer's,  in  French  Flan 
ders,  when  Henry  sailed  for  America.  His 
brother  Daniel  was  with  him.  The  father 
wrote  to  them  July  7,  1719,  informing  them 
of  Henry's  death  of  April  loth.  He  exhorted 
them  to  pray  for  the  repose  of  their  brother's 
soul,  saying  that  ten  pounds  would  be  remitted 
to  them  to  be  expended  in  masses  for  the  same 
purpose,  and  alluded  to  their  mother's  design 
of  going  abroad  the  next  spring  with  two  of 
her  daughters. 

The  purpose  may  have  been  frustrated  by 
her  husband's  ill-health,  for  he  survived  his 
eldest  son  but  a  year,  dying  in  July,  1720. 

Charles  (II.)  completed  his  academic  course 
before  returning  to  America.  He  arrived  at 
home  in  1723,  when  he  was  barely  of  age. 
During  the  minority  of  the  heir-apparent,  the 
extensive  estates  accumulated  by  his  father, 
and  bequeathed  to  his  children,  were  managed 
by  their  guardian-cousin,  Mr.  James  Carroll, 
and  the  home  plantation  by  Madam  Mary 
Carroll,  the  widow  of  the  first  Charles.  The 
worthy  gentlewoman  lived  to  be  the  dowager 
of  the  Annapolis  house,  her  son  Charles  hav 
ing  married  his  cousin,  Elizabeth  Brooke,  and 
installed  her  as  mistress  of  his  home.  Their 


Doughoregan  Manor  229 

only  child,  Charles  (III.),  was  born  Septem 
ber  19,  1737. 

That  they  had  no  other  offspring,  instead  of 
moving  the  parents  to  keep  him  in  their  jealous 
sight,  made  it  the  more  solemnly  obligatory 
upon  them  to  deprive  themselves  of  the  joy  of 
his  society  in  order  to  give  him  the  education 
demanded  by  his  rank  and  wealth.  He  was 
but  eleven  years  old  when  he  was  placed  at 
St.  Omer's.  His  companions  on  the  voyage 
and  in  the  college  were  his  cousin,  John  Car 
roll,  destined  to  become  Archbishop  of  Balti 
more,  and  Robert  Brent,  a  Virginia  boy,  who 
afterwards  married  into  the  Carroll  family. 
Six  years  were  passed  at  St.  Omer's,  one  at 
Rheims  in  another  Jesuit  college,  an  eighth 
year  in  the  College  of  Louis  le  Grand,  at 
Paris.  We  read  of  a  visit  paid  to  Charles, 
Jr.,  in  Paris,  by  his  father,  just  before  the  lad 
attained  his  majority.  That  same  year  (1757), 
or  the  next,  he  was  admitted  as  a  student  of 
law  at  the  Temple,  in  London. 

The  routine  was  hereditary,  and  so  much 
the  custom  with  the  wealthier  colonists  that 
this  part  of  our  story  tells  itself.  Law  was 
the  profession,  par  eminence,  for  a  gentleman's 
son.  The  necessity,  or  the  binding  expediency, 


230       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

that  he  should  have  a  nominal  profession  of 
some  sort  was  already  recognised  in  a  country 
where  every  fortune  was  still  in  making,  and  a 
career  was  a  matter  of  individual  effort,  not  of 
patronage. 

The  correspondence  between  father  and  son 
was  intimate  and  voluminous.  With  just  ap 
preciation  of  the  position  his  successor  would 
take  in  public  affairs,  Charles  Carroll  of  An 
napolis  kept  him  posted  as  to  the  strained 
relations,  already  apparent,  between  the  Col 
ony  and  the  Home  government,  and  dwelt 
with  yet  more  feeling  upon  the  disabilities  of 
Roman  Catholics.  Miss  Rowland  sets  these 
before  us  plainly,  and  refrains,  with  the  admir 
able  taste  that  characterises  her  work  through 
out,  from  comments  that  would  be  superfluous  : 

"  The  discriminating  test-oaths,  enforced  to  protect 
the  Hanoverian  dynasty  from  the  Jacobites,  excluded 
Roman  Catholics  from  the  Assembly,  prevented  them 
m>m  holding  office,  denied  them  the  privilege  of  the 
suffrage.  They  were  not  allowed  the  public  exercise  of 
their  religion.  For  this  reason  gentlemen  of  means  had 
their  private  chapels,  and  Charles  Carroll  had  one  in  his 
town  house  in  Annapolis,  as  well  as  at  Doughoregan 
Manor." 

Mr.  Carroll's  letters  show  how  the  flagrant 


Doughoregan  Manor  233 

injustice  of  all  this  ground  into  his  haughty 
soul.  In  a  masterly  resume  (dated  1 760)  of  the 
causes  leading  to  the  oppressive  enactments, 
he  says: 

"  Maryland  was  granted  to  Cecilius,  Lord  Baltimore, 
.a  Roman  Catholic.  All  persons  believing  in  Jesus  Christ 
were,  by  the  charter,  promised  the  enjoyment,  not  only 
of  religious,  but  of  civil,  liberty.  .  .  .  All  sects  contin 
ued  in  a  peaceful  enjoyment  of  these  privileges  until  the 
Revolution,  when  a  mob,  encouraged  by  the  example  set 
them  in  England,  rebelled  against  the  Lord  Baltimore, 
stript  him  of  his  government,  and  his  officers  of  their 
places.  Then  the  crown  assumed  the  government  ;  the 
Toleration  Act,  as  I  may  call  it,  was  repealed,  and  sev 
eral  acts  to  hinder  us  from  a  free  exercise  of  our  religion 
were  passed.  .  .  . 

"  To  these  the  Proprietary  was  not  only  mean  enough 
to  assent,  but  he  deprived  several  Roman  Catholics  em 
ployed  in  the  management  of  his  private  patrimony  and 
revenue,  of  their  places.  ...  At  last,  in  1756,  an 
Act  was  passed  by  all  the  branches  of  the  Legislature 
here  to  double  tax  us,  and  to  this  law  the  present  Pro 
prietor  had  the  meanness  to  assent,  tho'  he  knew  us 
innocent  of  the  calumnies  raised  against  us. 

"  From  what  I  have  said  I  leave  you  to  judge 
whether  Maryland  be  a  tolerable  residence  for  a  Roman 
Catholic." 

So  active  was  his  discontent  that  he  actu 
ally  made  overtures  to  the  French  king  for  a 

1  Family  Papers,  Rev.  Thomas  Sims  Lee. 


234       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

grant  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Arkansas,, 
then  a  wilderness  claimed  by  France.  His  in 
tention  to  remove  thither,  and  there  found  a 
new  home,  if  not  a  sort  of  refuge  colony  for 
his  brethren  in  the  faith,  was  not  relinquished 
for  several  years.  It  is  interesting  in  this  con 
nection  to  note  that  another  branch  of  the 
Carroll  family  was  subsequently  established  in 
Arkansas,  and  bore  an  important  part  in  the 
upbuilding  of  territory  and  State. 

Mingled  with  gossip  of  neighbourhood  and 
family  affairs,  and  explicit  directions  as  to 
his  son's  homeward  passage,  are  mention  of 
Charles  III.'s  crack  racer,  Nimble,  genealogical 
details,  and  talk  of  the  library  the  traveller  was 
to  bring  to  Maryland  with  him.  Then,  in 
1764,  we  come  plump  upon  a  matter  more 
serious  to  both  of  the  correspondents  than  any 
of  the  subjects  just  named.  The  heir  and  only 
son  was  in  love,  and,  judging  from  the  lasting 
impression  made  upon  his  imagination,  if  not 
his  heart,  by  the  "Louisa "of  his  letters — the 
"  Miss  Baker  "  of  the  senior's — was  more  deeply 
enamoured  than  at  any  other  period  in  his- 
life. 

The  American  father  hopes  "  Miss  Baker 
may  be  endowed  with  all  the  good  sense  and 


Doughoregan  Manor  235 

good  nature  you  say  she  has,"  gives  his  con 
sent  to  the  proposed  alliance,  and  plunges 
forthwith  into  an  "  exhibit"  of  his  means  which 
-are  the  son's  expectations.  Said  exhibit  is  to 
be  laid  before  the  prospective  English  father- 
in-law.  With  "  a  clear  revenue  of  at  least 
^1800  per  annum,"  and  upwards  of  40,000 
.acres  of  lands  annually  increasing  in  value, 
not  to  mention  Annapolis  lots  and  houses,  six 
hundred  pounds  of  family  plate,  and  nearly 
three  hundred  adult  slaves  on  his  various  plant 
ations,  the  handsome  young  colonist  was  a 
desirable  parti  in  a  day  when  money  was  four 
fold  more  valuable  than  in  ours.  The  fair  one 
who  had  had  the  good  fortune  to  attract  him 
was  not  rich  in  her  own  right,  nor  would  her 
father  be  able  to  endow  her  amply  even 
when,  as  he  promises  to  do,  he  had  made 
"  his  daughter's  share  equal  in  his  estate  with 
his  son's." 

"  Mr.  Baker's  letter  to  you  speaks  him  to 
be  a  man  of  sense  and  honour,"  conceded 
Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis,  and  evidently 
considering  the  matter  as  good  as  settled, 
wrote  out  in  due  form  a  proposal  for  a  "  set 
tlement  and  gift "  to  his  son  and  "  for  the 
lady's  jointure."  She  must  have  been  hard  to 


236       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

please  if  these  had  not  suited  her  ambitions,, 
and  singularly  cold  of  heart  had  she  failed  to 
approve  of  her  suitor.  In  the  prime  of  early 
manhood,  graceful  in  person  and  most  fascin 
ating  in  manner,  a  scholar,  sweet  of  temper 
and  devout  of  spirit  withal,  a  favourite  "  in  a 
circle  of  friends  of  not  a  little  consequence  and 
fashion,"  in  what  respect  or  particular  was  he 
adjudged  deficient  when  weighed  in  the  scales 
of  maidenly  caprice  and  paternal  reason  ?  Or, 
was  the  rupture  that  ended  loverly  dreams 
and  fatherly  negotiations  to  be  accounted  for 
by  the  convenient  formula  of  "  fault  on  both 
sides  "  ? 

Miss  Rowland,  more  satisfactory  upon  most 
points  than  other  of  our  hero's  biographers,  is 
not  a  whit  more  explicit  here  : 

"  He  was  to  bring  over  thoroughbred  horses  and  a 
gamekeeper,  and,  doubtless,  the  newest  London  fash 
ions  in  dress  and  equipage.  That  he  had  hoped  to 
bring  home  an  English  bride  to  his  Maryland  Manor  is- 
evident.  But  for  some  reason  his  suit  failed,  and  the 
romance  came  to  an  untimely  end. 

"  The  estate  of  Carrollton  in  Frederick  County  was  to- 
be  settled  upon  him  on  his  return  home,  and  he  was- 
to  be  known  henceforward  as  Charles  Carroll  of  Car 
rollton."  ' 

1  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  by  Kate  Mason  Rowland,  p.  68. 


Doughoregan  Manor  237 

This  rapid  summary  of  the  leading  events  in 
his  early  life  brings  us  to  the  pregnant  para 
graph  in  the  Annapolis  newspaper  published 
on  St.  Valentine's  day  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord 

1765- 

Mistress  Elizabeth  Brooke  Carroll  was  not 
among  those  who  welcomed  her  son's  return 
to  home  and  country.  She  had  died  in  1761, 
after  a  long  and  painful  illness.  That  is  a 
common  tale,  too,  but  none  the  less  pitiful  for 
the  frequent  telling.  Among  the  sorest  of  the 
privations  inseparable  from  residence  in  a  hemi 
sphere  where  educational  processes  and  polite 
usages  were  without  form  and  void,  was  the 
rending  of  the  tenderest  ties  of  heart  and  kind 
red.  We  sigh  in  futile  sympathy  with  the 
mother  whose  eyes,  strained  to  watch  the 
glimmer  upon  the  horizon  of  the  cruelly  vast 
watery  highway  of  the  sail  that  bore  her  boy 
away  from  her  arms,  were  to  close  in  their  last 
sleep  without  ever  seeing  him  again.  And 
beside  him  she  had  no  other  child  ! 

It  would  loosen  the  tension  of  our  heart 
strings  to  be  assured  that  she  accompanied  her 
husband  in  the  transatlantic  journey  he  made 
in  1751.  She  was  not  with  him  in  1757,  for 
Mr.  Carroll  writes  from  London  to  his  son  in 


••238        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Paris  early  in  1758,  that  a  friend  newly  landed 
in  England,  "  saw  your  mother  ;  that  she  was 
well  and  in  high  spirits,  having  heard  of  my 
safe  arrival."  In  1753  the  father  had  directed 
the  seventeen-year-old  boy  to  have  his  likeness 
taken  by  a  "good  painter." 

"  With  your  mother  I  shall  be  glad  to  have 
your  picture  in  the  compass  of  15  inches  by  12." 

Were  her  hungry  eyes  ever  gladdened  by  the 
.sight  of  it  ? 

A  letter  from  Mrs.  Carroll,  treasured  by  the 
son,  and  after  him  by  his  heirs,  contains  this 
touching  clause  : 

"  You  are  always  at  heart  my  dear  Charley, 
.and  I  have  never  tired  asking  your  papa  ques 
tions  about  you.  I  daily  pray  to  God  to  grant 
you  His  grace  above  all  things,  and  to  take 
you  under  His  protection." 

Her  son's  lot  in  life  was  distinctly  sketched 
for  him  by  circumstance,  or  so  he  supposed. 

"  Who  is  so  happy  as  an  independent  man  ? 
and  who  is  more  independent  than  a  private 
gentleman  possessed  of  a  clear  estate,  and 
moderate  in  his  desires  ? "  are  queries  from 
his  pen  that  savour  of  the  calm  aspirations  of 
the  English  country  gentlemen.  So  honest 
was  the  utterance  that  he  must  have  aston- 


Doughoregan  Manor  239 

ished  himself  when  he  sprang  into  the  arena 
of  provincial  politics  as  one  of  the  "  Assertors 
of  British-American  Privileges,"  discarded  the 
latest  London  fashions  for  homespun  woven 
upon  his  own  plantation,  and  boldly  predicted 
the  time  when  America  would  be  superior  to 
the  rest  of  the  world  in  arts  and  sciences  and 
in  the  use  of  arms. 

"  Matrimony  is,  at  present,  but  little  the  sub 
ject  of  my  thoughts,"  he  said  cynically  to  a 
confidential  English  correspondent,  when  he 
had  for  eight  months  sustained  the  battery  of 
matronly  and  maidenly  eyes  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  "  catch  "  of  the  Commonwealth.  A 
month  later  he  moralised  upon  the  emptiness 
of  passion  "  which  exists  nowhere  but  in  ro 
mance."  He  was  now  in  his  twenty-ninth 
year,  and  of  the  opinion  that  a  man  of  twenty 
should  have  enough  common  sense  to  marry, 
"  if  he  marries  from  affection,  from  esteem, 
and  from  a  sense  of  merit  in  his  wife." 

On  August  26th  of  the  next  year  (1766)  he- 
informs  the  same  correspondent  that  he  was 
to  have  been  married  in  July  to  "an  amiable 
young  lady,  but  was  taken  ill  with  fever  in 
June.  If  I  continue  thus  recruiting,  I  hope  to- 
be  married  in  November." 


240        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

In  September  he  eulogises  the  object  of  his 
present  choice  to  a  friend  who  had  known  Miss 
Baker : 

"  A  greater  commendation  I  cannot  make  of 
the  young  lady  than  by  pronouncing  her  no 
ways  inferior  to  Louisa." 

To  the  aunt  of  this  friend  he  expatiates 
more  at  length  upon  the  "  united  power  of 
good  sense  and  beauty  "  as  exemplified  in  his 
Jiancte,  Miss  Rachel  Cooke,  who  was  also  his 
blood  relative.  It  is  funny  to  our  notions — 
and  was  apparently  not  without  an  element  of 
the  humorous  to  the  bridegroom  expectant— 
that  he  should  send  the  "  measure  of  the  lady's 
stays"  to  his  foreign  correspondent,  "and  of 
her  skirts  and  robes." 

"  I  hope,"  he  pleads,  "  you  will  excuse  any 
impropriety  in  my  expressions,  for  I  confess 
an  utter  ignorance  of  these  matters." 

The  gown  for  which  measurements  were  en 
closed,  thus  ordered,  was  to  be  of  Brussels 
lace,  and  ornaments  to  match  were  to  accom 
pany  it.  This  piece  of  business  done  with, 
the  writer  is  free  to  indulge  in  pleasurable  an 
ticipations  or  pensive  reminiscences.  His  ma 
tronly  correspondent  was,  evidently,  cognisant 
of  the  (to  us)  mysterious  obstacles  that  had 


Doughoregan  Manor  241 

foiled  the  like  intentions  on  his  part  in  re 
Miss  Baker.  There  is  fruitful  matter  for  ro 
mantic  surmise  in  such  passages  as  these  : 

"  I  assure  you  I  have  been  more  sparing  in  my  reflec 
tions,  and.  in  pronouncing  judgment  on  that  amiable 
part  of  mankind  (woman)  since  the  opinion  a  charitable 
lady  of  your  acquaintance  was  pleased  to  form  of  me 
behind  my  back,  from  little  inadvertencies.  And  that 
opinion  was  delivered  seriously  and  deliberately  before 
a  sister  whom,  at  that  time,  I  would  have  given  the 
world  to  entertain  better  of  me." 

This  grows  interesting,  and  surmise  ripens 
into  partial  knowledge  as  we  read  on  in  the 
epistle  drawn  by  Miss  Rowland  from  the  do 
mestic  archives  of  the  Carroll  connection  : 

"  Well,  then,  since  the  subject  has  somehow,  unac 
countably  [!]  led  me  to  the  lady,  I  may  mention  her 
name.  How  is  Louisa  ?  There  was  once  more  music 
in  that  name  than  in  the  sweetest  lines  of  Pope  ;  but 
now  I  can  pronounce  it  as  indifferently  as  Nancy,  Bet 
sey,  or  any  other  common  name.  If  I  ask  a  few  ques 
tions  I  hope  you  will  not  think  I  am  not  as  indifferent 
as  I  pretend  to  be.  But  I  protest  it  is  mere  curiosity,  or 
mere  good-will  that  prompts  me  to  inquire  after  her.  Is 
she  still  single  ?  Does  she  intend  to  alter  her  state,  or 
to  remain  single?  If  she  thinks  of  matrimony  my  only 
wish  is  that  she  may  meet  with  a  man  deserving  of  her." 

Our  skeleton  romance  is  clothed  with  flesh 

16 


242        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

and  instinct  with  life  when  we  have  finished 
this  remarkable  communication  from  the  man 
who  expected  shortly  to  become  the  husband 
of  another  than  the  unforgotten  Louisa.  It 
is  clear  that  a  whisperer  had  separated  the 
lovers,  and  almost  as  clear  that  the  mischief- 
maker  was  Louisa's  sister.  As  obvious  as 
either  of  these  deductions  is  that  the  gentle 
man  "  doth  protest  too  much  "  as  to  the  com 
pleteness  of  his  cure  and  the  reality  of  his 
indifference. 

The  shock  of  a  real  and  present  calamity 
awoke  him  from  reminiscent  reveries.  Rachel 
Cooke  fell  ill  of  fever  about  the  first  of  No 
vember,  and  died  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  that 
month. 

"  All  that  now  remains  of  my  unhappy  af 
fection  is  a  pleasing  melancholy  reflection  of 
having  loved  and  been  loved  by  a  most  de 
serving  woman,"  writes  Mr.  Carroll  to  his 
English  confidante,  three  months  subsequent 
to  her  decease.  In  a  morbid  vein,  natural 
and  excusable  in  the  circumstances,  he  de 
clares  that  he  has  come  to  the  dregs  of  his 
life,  and  "wishes  the  bitter  potion  down."  His 
health  had  suffered  grievously  from  his  recent 
illness  and  the  sorrow  which  followed  so  closely 


Doughoregan  Manor  243 

upon  it.  He  had  had  "  the  strongest  assur 
ances  of  happiness  in  the  married  state  from 
the  sweetness  of  Miss  Cooke's  temper,  her 
virtue  and  good  sense,  and  from  our  mutual 
affection." 

The  unworn  wedding-dress  was  laid  away 
reverently  by  the  women  of  the  household  ; 
Rachel's  miniature  and  a  long  tress  of  her 
hair  were  locked  from  all  eyes  but  his  own  in 
a  secret  drawer  of  Charles  Carroll's  escritoire. 

The  heir  of  a  great  estate,  and  a  rising  man 
in  the  political  world,  could  not  be  surren 
dered  to  solitary  musings  upon  the  uncer 
tainty  of  human  happiness.  The  dregs  must 
be  emptied  from  the  cup  of  life  and  the  goodly 
vessel  refilled  with  generous  wine.  The  com 
mission  for  bridal  gear  sent  to  London  had 
included  a  memorandum  for  a  silk  gown  for 
Mary  Darnall,  "  a  young  lady  who  lives  with 
us."  The  lady  who  was  to  make  the  purchase, 
upon  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Carroll, 
Sr.,  countermanding  the  order  for  what  was 
meant  for  Miss  Cooke,  omitted  to  buy  the 
silk  frock.  Charles  Carroll,  Jr.,  wrote  some 
what  tartly,  ten  months  after  poor  Rachel  died, 
of  "  my  cousin  Miss  Mollie  Darnall's "  cha 
grin  at  the  non-arrival  of  her  gown.  A  letter 


244        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

to  another  British  friend  two  months  prior  to 
this,  shows  what  right  he  had  to  sympathise 
with  Miss  Mollie's  disappointment. 

His  third  betrothal  was  to  "a  sweet-tem 
pered,  charming,  neat  girl.  A  little  too  young 
for  me,  I  confess,  but  especially  as  I  am  of 
weak  and  puny  constitution,  in  a  poor  state 
of  health,  but  in  hopes  of  better." 

He  had  always  a  fine  sense  of  humour,  and 
a  sad  little  smile  must  have  stirred  his  lips  in 
adding,  "  Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human 
breast." 

After  he  had  ordered  Miss  Darnall's  trous 
seau  through  his  London  factor,  and  recovered 
a  fair  degree  of  the  health  so  rudely  shaken  by 
the  events  of  the  past  eighteen  months,  Fate, 
unwearied  in  her  pursuit  of  him,  interposed 
yet  another  impediment  to  his  matrimonial 
ventures.  An  Act  of  Assembly  must  be  passed 
to  "  impower  Miss  Darnall,  who  is  under  age, 
to  consent  to  a  settlement  in  bar  of  dower." 
The  weight  of  the  Carroll  influence  was  ex 
erted  to  secure  this,  but  as  the  Assembly  did 
not  meet  until  the  early  spring  of  1768,  the 
marriage  must  be  put  off. 

We  cannot  read  the  last  of  the  letters  bear 
ing  upon  the  much-vexed  question  of  Charles 


Doughoregan  Manor  245 

Carroll's  marriage  and  sober  settlement  in  life 
without  the  conviction  that  his  character  had 
gained  strength  and  depth  in  his  manifold  trib 
ulations.  After  the  frank  statement  that  the 
"  young  lady  to  whom  he  was  to  give  his  hand, 
and  who  already  had  his  heart,"  was  poor  in 
this  world's  goods,  he  goes  on  in  an  ingenu 
ous,  manly  tone  to  say  : 

"  I  prefer  her,  thus  unprovided,  to  all  the 
women  I  have  ever  seen,  even  to  Louisa,"  and 
cites  her  want  of  fortune  as  another  reason 
"  inducing  the  necessity  of  a  settlement,  and 
strongly  justifying  it.  I  am  willing  and  desir 
ous  that  all  my  future  actions  should  stand  the 
test  of  those  two  severe  judges,  Reason  and 
Justice." 

From  this  willingness  he  never  departed. 
To  this  standard  he  remained  constant  to  the 
end  of  a  long,  prosperous,  and  beneficent 
life. 

The  Maryland  Gazette  of  June  9,  1768,  con 
tained  another  important  bit  of  society  in 
telligence  : 

"  On  Sunday  (June  5)  was  married  at  his 
Father's  House  in  this  city,  Charles  Carroll 
Jr.,  Esq.,  to  Miss  Mary  Darnall,  an  agreeable 
young  Lady,  endowed  with  every  accomplish- 


246        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ment  necessary  to  render  the  connubial  state 
happy." 

The  bridegroom  was  in  his  thirty-first  year, 
the  bride  in  her  twentieth. 

Pleasant  murmurs  of  the  tranquil,  yet  busy, 
life  led  by  the  pair  steal  to  us  through  the  cor 
ridors  leading  to  the  memorable  Past  which 
latter-day  research  has  cleared  out  for  us. 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  was  the  business 
acquaintance,  then,  the  friend  and  host  of 
Washington.  He  was  the  munificent  patron 
of  Charles  Wilson  Peale  and  other  artists. 
He  and  his  popular  wife  kept  open  house  for 
townsmen  and  visitors  from  other  colonies 
and  from  over  the  sea.  Annapolis  was  their 
home  in  winter ;  Doughoregan  Manor,  in 
summer. 

Then  the  famous  letters,  signed  "  First  Cit 
izen,"  maintaining  the  to-be-immortal  principle 
that  taxation  without  representation  is  a  pri 
vate  and  a  public  outrage,  "  brought  the  mod 
est,  studious,  and  retiring  planter  out  of  the 
shades  of  private  life  into  the  full  glare  of 
political  publicity." 

Henceforward,  the  lime-light  that  is  ever 
turned  upon  the  reformer  beat  steadily  upon 

1  Miss  Rowland. 


Doughoregan  Manor  249 

him.  When  the  Boston  Tea  Party  of  1773 
was  outdone  by  the  burning  of  the  Peggy 
Stewart  that  had  brought  into  the  port  of 
Annapolis  a  cargo  of  "  the  detestable  article," 
Charles  Carroll,  Jr.,  was  the  chief  counsellor 
of  the  owner  who,  with  his  own  hand,  applied 
the  expiatory  torch. 

Mr.  Carroll  was  a  member  of  the  Conti 
nental  Congress  convened  in  Philadelphia  in 
September,  1774. 

"A  very  sensible  gentleman,"  says  John 
Adams.  "  A  Roman  Catholic,  and  of  the 
first  fortune  in  America.  His  income  is  ten 
thousand  pounds  a  year  now  ;  will  be  fourteen 
in  two  or  three  years,  they  say.  Besides,  his 
father  has  a  vast  fortune  which  will  be  his." 

From  the  same  hand  we  have  this  testi 
mony  to  the  very  sensible  gentleman's  worth 
in  1776  : 

"  Of  great  abilities  and  learning,  complete 
master  of  the  French  language,  and  a  pro 
fessor  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  ;  yet  a 
warm,  a  firm,  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  rights 
of  America,  in  whose  cause  he  has  hazarded 
his  all." 

On  June  u,  1776,  "  Mr.  Chase  and  Mr. 
Carroll  of  Carrollton,  two  of  the  Commis- 


250        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

sioners,  being  arrived  from  Canada,  attended 
and  gave  account  of  their  proceeding  and  the 
state  of  the  Army  in  that  country." 

On  August  2d,  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  which  had  been  passed  on  the  Fourth  of 
July,  was  spread  upon  the  desk  of  the  Secretary 
of  Congress  for  the  signature  of  members. 

"  Will  you  sign  it  ?  "  asked  the  President  of 
Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  who  was  talking 
with  him  upon  other  subjects. 

"  Most  willingly,"  answered  the  Marylander, 
with  hearty  emphasis,  taking  up  the  pen. 

"  There  go  a  few  millions  ! "  remarked  a  by 
stander,  and  a  rustle  of  applause  ran  through  the 
group  about  the  desk  and  President's  chair. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add,  in  this  myth- 
destroying  generation,  that  "  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton  "  was  the  ordinary  signature  ap 
pended  to  his  letters  and  business  documents, 
adopted  and  used  to  distinguish  him  from  his 
father  of  Annapolis. 

The  numerous  and  important  services  ren 
dered  by  this  one  of  "  The  Signers  "  to  his 
country,  the  offices  to  which  he  was  called  and 
his  manner  of  filling  them,  are  events  in  our 
early  history.  The  student  of  this  who  would 
learn  of  these  things  in  detail  could  not  act 


Doughoregan  Manor  251 

more  wisely  than  by  reading  the  volumes  to 
which  I  have  already  and  repeatedly  directed 
his  attention  :  Miss  Kate  Mason  Rowland's 
Life  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  1737- 
1832,  with  His  Correspondence  and  Pitblic 
Papers. 

From  the  Centennial  Memorial,  published 
in  1876  by  the  Maryland  Historical  Society, 
I  extract  a  modest  summary  of  Mr.  Carroll's 
public  life  prepared  by  himself  in  his  eightieth 
year  : 

"  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  I  took  a  de 
cided  part  in  the  support  of  the  rights  of  this  country  ; 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  estab 
lished  by  the  Legislature  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Con 
vention  which  formed  the  Constitution  of  this  State. 
The  journals  of  Congress  show  how  long  I  was  a  mem 
ber  of  that  body  during  the  Revolution.  With  Dr. 
Franklin  and  Mr.  Samuel  Chase  I  was  appointed  a 
Commissioner  to  Canada.  I  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Senate  at  the  first  session  of  Congress  under  the  pre- 
.sent  Confederation.  .  .  .  The  mode  of  choosing  the 
Senate  was  suggested  by  me. 

"  Though  well  acquainted  with  General  Washington, 
and  I  natter  myself,  in  his  confidence,  few  letters  passed 
between  us.  One,  having  reference  to  the  opposition 
made  to  the  treaty  concluded  by  Mr.  Jay,  has  been 
repeatedly  published  in  the  newspapers,  and  perhaps 
you  may  have  seen  it." 


IX 


DOUGHOREGAN    MANOR  :    THE  CARROLL 
HOMESTEAD,  MARYLAND 

(Concluded) 

UPON  the  morning  of  May  3oth,  Mr.. 
Charles  Carroll  of  Annapolis,  a  hale  pa 
triarch  of  eighty,  was  standing  upon  the  portico 
of  his  town  house,  watching  an  incoming  ves 
sel  in  the  harbour  below.  Spy-glass  at  his 
eye,  he  followed  her  every  movement  until 
she  dropped  anchor  at  the  pier.  Then,  turn 
ing  to  speak  to  his  daughter-in-law,  who  stood 
beside  him,  he  made  a  backward  step,  slipped 
over  the  edge  of  the  portico,  and  fell  head 
long  to  the  ground.  He  was  killed  instantly. 

Mrs.  Carroll's  mother,  Mrs.  Darnall,  had 
died  a  year  before,  since  which  event  her 
daughter  had  been  peculiarly  dependent  upon 
her  father-in-law's  affection  and  companion 
ship.  As  we  have  seen,  she  was  brought  up 

252 


Doughoregan  Manor  253 

in  his  house.  Her  cousin  fiancd  spoke  of  her 
in  his  letters  as  "  a  young  lady  who  lives  with 
us."  Mr.  Carroll,  Sr.,  had  never  had  a  daugh 
ter  of  his  own,  and  treated  his  son's  wife  as 
if  she  were  his  child  instead  of  his  wife's  niece. 
Mrs.  Darnall  had  ministered  most  tenderly 
to  the  elder  Mrs.  Carroll  in  her  last  lingering 
illness  of  more  than  two  years'  duration,  and 
then  taken  her  place  as  manager  of  the  An 
napolis  and  Doughoregan  Manor  households. 
The  daughter  had  never  recovered  her  spirits 
since  her  mother's  decease,  and  her  health  had 
suffered  from  her  melancholy.  The  terrible 
accident,  of  which  she  was  a  witness,  pros 
trated  her  utterly.  She  was  too  ill  to  accom 
pany  the  remains  to  their  resting-place  under 
the  floor  of  the  Doughoregan  chapel,  and 
never  left  her  chamber  alive  after  that  fatal 
day.  In  just  eleven  days  from  the  date  of 
her  father-in-law's  death  she  breathed  her  last, 
"after  a  short,  but  painful  illness." 

Her  youngest  child  was  two  years  old  when 
left  motherless,  and  outlived  her  but  three 
years.  Three  other  daughters  had  died  in 
early  infancy.  Mary,  born  in  1770,  Charles, 
born  in  1775,  and  Catherine,  born  in  1778, 
grew  up  to  man's  and  woman's  estate. 


254        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Charles,  the  only  son  among  the  seven  child 
ren  given  to  his  parents,  was  five  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death.  In  an 
other  five  years  he  was  sent  to  France  to  be 
educated  by  the  Jesuit  fathers  in  the  English 
college  at  Liege.  He  sailed  from  Annapolis 
in  true  princely  state,  commemorated  by  an 
old  picture  yet  extant.  His  guardian  and  fel 
low-voyager  was  Daniel  Carroll,  of  the  Dud- 
dington  estate,  whose  younger  brother  was  a 
student  at  Liege. 

This  cousin  Daniel  stood  high  in  the  regards 
of  his  kinsman  of  Carrollton,  as  is  manifest 
from  their  correspondence.  The  elder  relat 
ive  defrayed  the  other's  expenses  from  Amer 
ica  to  Liege,  and  wrote  kindly,  yet  decided, 
counsel  respecting  the  young  traveller's  con 
duct  abroad.  He  was  advised  to  improve  his 
time  by  acquiring  some  knowledge  of  the: 
French  language,  but  not  to  make  that  time 
so  long  as  to  draw  heavily  upon  an  estate 
which  was  "  not  very  productive."  He  was 
to  polish  his  manners  by  intercourse  with  the 
most  polite  nation  upon  earth,  "  observe  the 
cultivation  of  the  country,  particularly  of  the 
vineyards,  learn  the  most  improved  methods 
of  making  wines,  inquire  their  prices  from  the 


Doughoregan  Manor  255, 

manufacturers   themselves,  and   endeavour   to 
fix  some  useful  correspondences  in  France." 

Mary  Carroll,  now  a  beautiful  girl  of  six 
teen,  joined  her  father  and  her  aunt,  Miss 
Darnall,  in  "sincere  wishes  for  the  health  and 
happiness"  of  the  absentee.  In  ten  months 
more  her  father  undertook,  with  obvious  re 
luctance,  to  communicate  "  intelligence "  he 
foresaw  would  be  unwelcome  : 

"  Although  disagreeable,  I  must  impart  it  to  yon.  My 
daughter,  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you,  is  much  attached  to, 
and  has  engaged  herself  to  a  young  English  gentleman  of 
the  name  of  Caton.  I  do  sincerely  wish  she  had  placed 
her  affections  elsewhere,  but  I  do  not  think  myself  at  lib 
erty  to  control  her  choice  when  fixed  on  a  person  of  un 
exceptional  character,  nor  would  you,  I  am  sure,  desire 
that  I  should.  .  .  . 

"  Time  will  wear  away  the  impressions  which  an  early 
attachment  may  have  made  on  your  heart,"  proceeds  the- 
philosophical  kinsman,  "  Louisa's  "  whilom  lover,  "  and 
I  hope  you  will  find  out,  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two, 
some  agreeable,  virtuous,  and  sweet-tempered  young, 
lady,  whose  reciprocal  affection,  tenderness,  and  good 
ness  of  disposition  will  make  you  happy,  and  forget  the 
loss  of  my  daughter." 

This  "  intelligence "  disposed  of  early  in 
the  epistle,  the  thrice-betrothed  and  once- 
wedded  mentor  passes  easily  on  to  discussion- 


256        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  business,  family,  and  political  affairs,  send 
ing,  en  passant,  "  Molly's  kindly  compliments," 
and  mentioning,  jocosely,  that  Kitty,  "who 
will  make  a  fine  woman,"  sometimes  talks  of 
"  Cousin  Long-legs."  A  comprehensive  para 
graph  tops  off  the  model  missive  : 

"  I  have  mentioned  every  occurrence  worth  communi 
cating,  and  therefore  conclude  this  letter  with  assurances 
of  real  regard  and  attachment." 

We  get  a  chance  glint  of  light  upon  the  fig 
ure  and  character  of  "  Molly  "  Carroll's  Eng 
lish  spouse  in  a  sarcastic  sketch  from  the  pen 
of  William  Maclay,  a  Pennsylvania  Congress 
man.  John  Adams,  then  Vice-President,  is 
interrogating  Mr.  Carroll  upon  the  latter's  per 
sonal  concerns  in  a  style  that  impresses  us,  as  it 
struck  the  diarist,  as  flippant  and  impertinent : 

;  *  Have  you  arranged  your  empire  on  your  departure  ? 
Your  revenues  must  suffer  in  your  absence.  What  kind 
of  administration  have  you  established  for  the  regula 
tion  of  your  finances  ?  Is  your  government  intrusted 
to  a  viceroy,  nuncio,  legate,  plenipotentiary,  or  charge 
d'affaires  ? ' 

"  Carroll  endeavored  to  get  him  down  from  his  im 
perial  language  by  telling  him  that  he  had  a  son-in-law 
who  paid  attention  to  his  affairs  :  I  left  them  before 
Adams  had  half  settled  the  empire." 


Doughoregan  Manor  257 

The  satirist  is  gravely  respectful  in  speaking 
of  Mr.  Carroll's  pleasure  on  reading  of  the 
.abolition  of  titles  and  distinctions  of  the  nobil 
ity  in  France.  u  A  flash  of  joy  lightened  from 
the  countenance  "  of  the  richest  man  in  Mary 
land,  two  of  whose  granddaughters  were  to 
marry  into  the  British  nobility,  and  two  other 
•descendants  in  the  third  generation  were  to 
-espouse  titled  Frenchmen  of  high  rank.  He 
is  emphatic  in  the  expression  of  Republican 
and  Federal  sentiments  in  a  letter  to  Alex 
ander  Hamilton,  written  October  22,  1792  : 

"  I  hope  the  real  friends  of  liberty  and  their  country 
will  unite  to  counteract  the  schemes  of  men  who  have 
uniformly  manifested  hostile  temper  to  the  present  gov 
ernment,  the  adoption  of  which  has  rescued  these  States 
from  that  debility  and  confusion,  and  those  horrors, 
which  unhappy  France  has  experienced  of  late,  and  may 
•still  labour  under." 

At  eleven  years  of  age,  the  little  Kitty  who 
made  fun  of  Daniel  Carroll's  long  legs  was 
sent  to  an  English  convent  in  Liege.  She  ful 
filled  her  father's  prediction  of  growing  up  into 
a  fine  woman,  playing  the  role  of  leading  belle 
in  Annapolis,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York  so 
ciety  for  several  seasons  before  her  marriage, 
at  twenty-three,  to  Robert  Goodloe  Harper,  an 


258        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

eminent  lawyer,  and  member  of  Congress  from 
South  Carolina.  This  gentleman,  a  Virginian 
by  birth,  removed  from  South  Carolina  to 
Maryland  after  his  marriage,  and  became  one 
of  Mr.  Carroll's  most  trusted  friends.  While 
the  devoted  patriot  retired  nominally  from 
public  life  in  1800,  announcing  his  intention 
of  devoting  the  rest  of  his  life  to  the  care 
of  his  estates  and  enjoyment  of  home  and 
children,  his  letters  to  Mr.  Harper  and  others 
show  how  watchful  was  the  outlook  kept  up 
at  Doughoregan  Manor  upon  the  tossing  sea 
of  politics,  how  wise  his  judgment  in  the 
momentous  questions  dividing  the  minds  of 
statemen. 

The  marriage  of  iiis  only  son  Charles  (IV.) 
Carroll,  Jr.,  July  17,  1800,  was  a  source  of 
profound  gratification  to  the  father.  The 
bridegroom  was  the  Admirable  Crichton  of 
the  brilliant  circle  which  was  his  social  orbit. 

The  late  Jonathan  Meredith,  a  distinguished 
Maryland  lawyer,  who  died  a  few  years  ago  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety,  used  to  tell  of  a 
trial  of  athletic  skill  between  some  fashion 
able  young  men  of  Baltimore  which  he  wit 
nessed.  A  fencing-match  was  on  the  floor 
when  he  entered  the  room  devoted  to  the  ex- 


259 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF       HOMEWOOD." 

FRGI^  ORIGINAL  PAINTING  BY  REMBRANDT  PEALE. 


Doughoregan  Manor  261 

hibition,  and  his  attention  was  at  once  captiv 
ated  by  the  extreme  beauty  and  grace  of  one 
of  the  contestants,  who,  he  was  told,  was  the 
son  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton. 

"  Nothing  in  Grecian  art  surpasses  the  per 
fect  symmetry  of  his  figure,"  he  would  say. 
"  In  every  movement  he  was  a  study  for  a 
sculptor.  His  face  had  not  a  flaw.  I  have 
always  carried  the  image  of  him  in  my  mind 
as  a  faultless  model  of  manly  beauty." 

The  picture  of  the  athlete  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  Doughoregan  Manor  sustains  the  en 
comium.  The  head  is  fine  in  shape  and  poise  ; 
the  low,  smooth  forehead,  the  clear  blue  eye, 
the  perfect  oval  of  the  face,  the  straight  nose 
and  delicate  curves  of  the  mouth,  beguile  and 
feast  the  eye.1  After  wandering  through  the 
other  rooms  and  listening  to  stories  of  other 
portraits,  all  full  of  interest,  we  are  drawn  back 

1  An  inscription  upon  the  back  of  the  canvas  (overlooked  by  the 
family  for  two  generations),  is  to  this  effect  : 

"  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  Junior  Esq. 

"  This  is  his  likeness  which  he  gave  to  Mary  Wallace,  and  which  she 
received  on  Mondav  January  22d,  7799.  Drawn  by  Mr.  Rembrandt 
Peale  when  Mr.  Carroll  was  22  years  of  age,  and  Mary  Wallace 
gives  this  to  her  Daughter,  Mary  Wallace  Ranken,  at  her  decease." 

Beyond  the  mention  of  the  names  of  mother  and  daughter  in  the 
faded  inscription  discovered  just  one  hundred  years  after  the  gift  of 
the  portrait  to  "  Mary  Wallace,"  nothing  is  known  of  either. 


262        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

to  this  by  a  growing  fascination  enhanced  by 
the  tale  of  his  life  and  its  untimely  end. 

He  was  just  twenty-five  when  he  married 
Harriet  Chew,  a  younger  sister  of  the  "  Pretty 
Peggy,"  whose  acquaintance  we  have  made 
and  improved  in  our  chapter  upon  "  Clive 
den."  (Some  Colonial  Homesteads,  pp.  117- 
122.)  There  were  six  of  the  Chew  sisters, 
Margaret  ("Peggy")  being  the  third  of  the 
bevy  of  beauties.  The  star  of  Harriet,  the 
fourth  sister,  was  in  the  zenith  in  1796,  when 
Washington  begged  her  to  remain  in  the  room 
during  his  sittings  to  Gilbert  Stuart,  that  his 
countenance  should,  under  the  charm  of  her 
conversation,  "  wear  its  most  agreeable  ex 
pression." 

Colonel  John  Eager  Howard,  who  had  mar 
ried  Peggy  Chew  in  1787,  was  a  political  ally 
and  warm  personal  friend  of  Charles  Carroll 
of  Carrollton.  It  is  quite  possible,  and  alto 
gether  congruous  with  the  rest  of  the  story, 
that  the  younger  Carroll  may  have  been 
thrown  into  familiar  association  with  Harriet 
Chew  during  her  visits  to  her  sister,  who  was 
reckoned  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her 
generation  and  country.  Whispers  of  a  former 
passion,  or  fancy,  for  Nelly  Custis,  of  Mount 


Doughoregan  Manor  263 

Vernon,  the  step-granddaughter  of  the  Pre 
sident,  did  not  prevail  with  sensible  Harriet 
against  the  wooing  of  the  Admirable  Crich- 
ton.  Nor  did  family  history  repeat  itself  in 
the  form  of  delaying  illnesses,  frustrating 
deaths,  and  tardy  settlements. 

A  lawyer  friend  and  relative,  Mr.  William 
Cooke,  asked  and  received  thirty  gallons  of 
choice  old  Madeira  for  drawing  up  the  joint 
ure  papers ;  the  wedding-garments  were  worn 
by  the  bride  for  whom  they  were  ordered  ;  the 
marriage  took  place  at  the  appointed  time,  and 
the  happy  pair  were  installed  at  "  Homewood," 
near  Baltimore.  The  brick  mansion  built  for 
them  by  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  is  still 
standing. 

The  neighbourhood  was  all  they  could  have 
wished,  and  both  were  hospitable,  fond  of 
amusement,  and  accustomed  to  the  cream  of  cis 
atlantic  society.  Mrs.  Caton  was  bringing  up 
her  three  daughters,  afterwards  celebrated  as 
"  the  American  Graces,"  at  "  Brooklandwood," 
near  enough  for  the  daily  exchange  of  calls. 
44  Hampton,"  the  Ridgely  House,  built  in  1783, 
than  which  there  were  few  handsomer  in  the 
State,  was  but  a  few  miles  farther  away  ;  "  The 
Homestead,"  the  country-seat  of  the  Patter- 


264        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

sons,  where  "Betsey"  Patterson  and  Jerome 
Bonaparte  spent  the  one  and  only  year  of  their 
married  life  ;  "  Belvedere,"  the  residence  of 
Colonel  Howard  and  his  "  pretty  Peggy," 
were  within  easy  visiting  distance.  The  elder 
Carroll's  many  letters  to  "  Homewood  "  are 
affectionate,  and  expressive  of  the  thorough 
sympathy  existing  between  them  upon  every 
subject  discussed  by  the  two.  The  correspond 
ence  is  entertaining  reading  apart  from  the 
insight  we  thus  gain  into  the  prosperous,  sunny 
existence  led  in  the  two  homes.  Both  of  the 
Carrolls  disliked  and  distrusted  John  Adams. 
"  Neither  Jefferson  nor  Burr  can  make  so  bad 
a  president,"  is  the  opinion  of  the  Sage  of  Car- 
rollton.  Yet  of  Jefferson  he  concludes  : 

"  If  he  does  not  think  as  he  writes,  he  is  a 
hypocrite,  and  his  pitiful  cant  is  the  step-ladder 
to  his  ambition.  Burr,  I  suspect,  is  not  less  a 
hypocrite  than  Jefferson ;  but  he  is  a  firm, 
steady  man,  and  possessed,  it  is  said,  of  great 
energy  and  decision." 

A  year  after  the  marriage  a  letter  from  the 
Manor-house  of  "  Homewood"  has  to  do  with 
what  put  presidential  candidates  and  interna 
tional  complications  clean  out  of  sight  and 
thought.  A  fifth  Charles  Carroll  had  seen  the 


Doughoregan  Manor  265 

light  of  the  world  that  had  dealt  so  generously 
with  his  forbears. 

"  May  this  child,  when  grown  to  manhood, 
be  a  comfort  to  his  parents  in  the  decline  of 
life,  and  support  the  reputation  of  his  family  ! " 
is  the  prayer  of  the  happy  grandfather. 

The  date  of  the  congratulatory  note  is  July 
26,  1801. 

In  the  same  spirit  of  unaffected  piety,  but  in 
a  far  different  tone,  he  writes,  August  12,  1806  : 

"  Immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  your  letter  I  gave 
orders  to  Harry  to  take  up  some  of  the  pavement  of  the 
Chapel  to  have  the  grave  dug  for  the  earthly  remains  of 
your  poor  little  infant.  To  soften  the  loss  of  this  dear 
and  engaging  child,  the  certainty  of  his  now  enjoying  a 
glorious  immortality  will  greatly  contribute." 

At  seventy,  Charles  Carroll,  Senior,  writes 
to  his  junior  of  a  plan  to  visit  Carrollton,  and 
a  desire  to  have  his  son's  company  on  the  trip, 
adding,  jocosely,  "  I  have  but  two  complaints, 
old  age  and  the  cholic." 

He  is  hale  and  hopeful  at  seventy-four,  with 
the  Harper  grandchildren  playing  about  his 
knees,  the  two  elder  at  school  in  Baltimore,  so 
near  as  "  to  allow  them  to  visit  the  Manor  every 
Saturday,  and  return  to  town  the  Mondays 
following." 


266        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

A  graver  despatch  went  from  Annapolis 
May  8,  1813  : 

"  I  have  sent  my  valuable  papers,  books  of  account, 
and  plate  to  the  Manor,  and  baggage  of  different  kinds 
•will  be  sent  to-morrow.  When  I  go  to  the  Manor  your 
sister  Caton  and  her  daughters  Betsey  and  Emily  will 
.accompany  me.  I  shall  remove  some  pipes  of  wine  to 
my  farm  near  this  city,  and  some  household  furniture, 
for  I  seriously  apprehend  the  enemy  will  destroy  the 
town.  It  is  reported  a  strong  force  is  going  up  the  Po 
tomac,  and  they  are  greatly  alarmed  at  Washington." 

August  25,  1814,  the  situation  is  yet  more 
alarming  : 

''  The  enemy  are  in  possession  of  Washington  !  It  is 
reported  that  they  have  destroyed  the  public  buildings 
and  the  Navy  Yard.  It  is  thought  they  will  next  at 
tack  Baltimore.  The  fire  at  Washington  was  plainly 
seen  by  several  of  my  people  about  ten  o'clock  last 
night." 

"  If  I  live  to  see  the  end  of  the  war,  I  shall," 
etc.,  etc.,  is  the  beginning  of  another  epistle. 
He  uses  the  same  formula  in  effect  when  the 
war  was  over,  and  the  return  of  peace  per 
mitted  the  resumption  of  the  traditional  cus 
tom  of  sending  the  children  of  the  Carroll 
connection  across  the  ocean  for  education.  His 
granddaughter,  Mary  Harper,  was  sent  to 


Doughoregan  Manor  267 

France,  "where  she  will  be  more  piously  edu 
cated  than  at  the  very  best  boarding-school  in 
Philadelphia. 

"  I  may  not  live  to  see  her  return.  Kiss  her 
for  me.  I  send  her  my  love  and  my  blessing." 

He  lived  to  receive  the  news  that  u  the  dear 
girl  "  had  died  abroad,  and  to  mingle  his  tears 
with  her  parents'.  Another  Mary,  Mrs.  Ca- 
ton's  eldest  daughter,  had  married  a  brother 
of  Elizabeth  Patterson  Bonaparte.  In  1817, 
Louisa  Caton  married  Colonel  Sir  Felton 
Bathurst  Hervey,  who  had  been  on  Welling 
ton's  staff  at  Waterloo.  In  1818,  Mrs.  Har 
per  writes  to  her  father  from  England  of 
personal  interviews  and  distinguished  atten 
tion  she  has  had  from  the  Duke  and  other 
great  ones  of  the  earth,  and  Mr.  Carroll  makes 
inquiry  as  to  a  French  school  to  which  he 
intends  to  send  his  grandson,  Charles  Carroll. 

In  1820,  Mrs.  Caton  brought  to  Doughore 
gan  Manor,  the  widow  of  Commodore  Deca- 
tur,  two  months  after  his  fatal  duel  with  Barron. 
"  The  exercise  and  change  of  air  have  greatly 
benefited  Mrs.  Decatur,"  the  host  reports  to 
his  son.  "  Her  spirits  are  more  composed  ; 
she  dines  with  us,  and  converses  more." 

In   that   same  summer  a  travelled  English- 


268        More  Colonial  Homesteads 


man  describes  a  visit  to  Doughoregan  Manor 
and  the  cordial  hospitality  of  the  proprietor, 

"  a  venerable  patriarch,  nearly  eighty-three  years  of  age, 
and  one  of  the  four  survivors  of  those  who  signed  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

"  Although  still  an  expert  horseman,  he  seldom  goes- 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  Manor.  I  had,  however,  seen 
him  riding  in  a  long  procession,  through  the  streets  of 
Baltimore,  holding  in  his  hand  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  which  he  delivered  to  the  orator  of  the  day,, 
at  the  monument  of  General  Washington." 

Three  surviv- 
ing  signers, 
James  Madison, 
Thomas  Jeffer 
son,  and  Charles 
Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton,  were  in 
vited  to  meet 
Lafayette  at 
Yorktown  on 
October  19, 
1824,  to  cele 
brate  the  surren 
der  of  Cornwal- 
lis.  An  auto 
graph  letter  from  Mr.  Carroll  to  the  late: 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 

1737-1832. 


Doughoregan  Manor  269 

Robert  G.  Scott,  of  Richmond,  Virginia, 
pleads  his  "advanced  age"  in  apology  for  his 
declination  of  the  invitation.  He  met  La 
fayette  at  Fort  McHenry,  October  ;th,  on 
his  way  to  Yorktown,  and,  with  Colonel  John 
Eager  Howard  and  "several  other  veterans," 
lunched  with  them  in  a  tent  that  had  been 
used  by  Washington  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Mr.  Carroll  was  also  a  guest  at  the 
ball  given  at  "  Belvedere "  to  the  French 
marquis. 

One  of  the  most  tender  and  confidential 
letters  penned  by  the  patriarch  to  his  son, 
bears  date  of  April  12,  1821.  It  contains 
these  solemn  admonitions  : 

"  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  call  your  attention  to  the  short 
ness  of  this  life,  and  the  certainty  of  death,  and  the 
-dreadful  judgment  we  must  all  undergo,  and  on  the  de 
cision  of  which  a  happy  or  a  miserable  Eternity  depends. 
.  .  My  desire  to  induce  you  to  reflect  on  futurity, 
and,  by  a  virtuous  life,  to  merit  heaven,  has  suggested 
the  above  reflections  and  warnings.  The  approaching 
festival  of  Easter  and  the  merits  and  mercies  of  Our 
Redeemer,  copiosa  assudeum  redemptio,  have  led  me  into 
this  chain  of  meditation  and  reasoning,  and  have  in 
spired  me  with  the  hope  of  finding  mercy  before  my 
Judge,  and  of  being  happy  in  the  life  to  come,  a  happi 
ness  I  wish  you  to  participate  with  me  by  infusing  into 
your  heart  a  similar  hope." 


270       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

I  n  a  letter  of  later  date  he  says, 4  *  GOD  bless  and 
prepare  you  for  a  better  world,  for  the  present 
is  but  a  passing  meteor  compared  to  Eternity." 

And  still  again  :  "  At  the  hour  of  your 
death,  ah  !  my  son,  you  will  feel  the  emptiness 
of  all  sublunary  things ;  and  that  hour  may  be 
much  nearer  than  you  expect.  Think  well  on 
it !  I  mean  your  eternal  welfare." 

Other  circumstances  besides  his  own  ex 
treme  age  moved  him  to  such  meditations. 
He  stood  so  nearly  solitary  in  the  world  once 
peopled  with  his  contemporaries  that  each 
death  among  the  remaining  few  was  like  the 
stroke  of  his  own  passing-bell.  Colonel  John 
Eager  Howard  had  buried  his  beautiful  wife 
in  1822.  Mr.  Carroll's  best-beloved  son-in- 
law,  General  Robert  Goodloe  Harper,  died 
January  15,  1825.  The  heaviest  stroke  that 
could  fall  upon  the  old  man  and  the  old 
house  descended  April  3,  1825,  in  the  death  of 
Charles  (IV.)  Carroll  of  "  Homewood."  The 
knowledge  of  what  his  life  had  meant  to  him 

o 

who  was  only  son,  chief  pride,  and  dearest 
hope  lends  awful  dignity  to  words  written  in 
November  of  that  direful  year  : 

"  On  the  2oth  of  this  month  I  entered  into  my  eighty- 
ninth  year.  This,  in  any  country,  would  be  deemed  a 


Doughoregan  Manor  271 

long  life.  If  it  has  not  been  directed  to  the  only  end 
for  which  man  was  created,  it  is  a  mere  nothing,  an 
empty  phantom,  an  indivisible  point,  compared  with  Eter 
nity.  ...  On  the  mercy  of  my  Redeemer  I  rely  for 
salvation,  and  on  His  merits  ;  not  on  the  works  I  have 
done  in  obedience  to  His  precepts,  for  even  these,  I  fear, 
a  mixture  of  alloy  will  render  unavailing  and  cause  to  be 
rejected." 

Mr.  Carroll  took  part  in  a  public  pageant 
on  July  20,  1826,  when  memorial  services  were 
held  in  Baltimore  in  honour  of  Ex-Presidents 
Adams  and  Jefferson.  The  whole  nation  was 
thrilled  to  the  heart  by  the  coincidence  of  the 
deaths  of  both  these  men  on  the  Fourth  of  July 
of  that  year,  an  event  which  left  but  one  sur 
viving  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence.  Upon  the  eve  of  the  solemn  celebration, 
this  man,  in  the  awful  solitariness  of  extreme 
old  age,  sitting  in  the  shadow  of  the  double 
decease,  indited  these  manly  and  magnanimous 
words  to  a  friend  : 

'  'Though  I  disapproved  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  adminis 
tration  and  was  dissatisfied  with  a  part  of  Mr.  Adams's, 
both  unquestionably  greatly  contributed  to  the  Inde 
pendence  of  this  country.  Their  services  should  be 
remembered,  and  their  errors  forgiven  and  forgotten. 
This  evening,  I  am  going  to  Baltimore  to  attend  to 
morrow  the  procession  and  ceremonies  to  be  paid  to  the 
memories  of  these  praised  and  dispraised  Presidents." 


272         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

He  acted  as  chief  mourner  in  the  funeral 
procession,  and  in  the  same  carriage  was  the 
friend  of  more  than  half  a  century,  John  Eager 
Howard.  In  September  of  that  year,  Mr.  Car 
roll  had  a  medal  struck  to  commemorate  his 
ninetieth  birthday,  and  received  the  congratu 
lations  of  friends  and  neighbours  at  the 
Manor.  From  the  pen  of  one  who  saw  him 
then  we  have  a  picture  of  the  eminent  nona 
genarian  : 

"  He  was  a  rather  small  and  thin  person,  of  very  gra 
cious  and  polished  manners.  At  the  age  of  ninety  he 
was  still  upright,  and  could  see  and  hear  as  well  as 
men  commonly  do.  He  had  a  smiling  expression  when 
he  spoke,  and  had  none  of  the  reserve  which  usually 
attends  old  age." 

His  lively  interest  in  what  was  going  on  in 
his  widening  family  connexion  and  in  the 
world  of  nations  remained  unabated  to  the 
last.  His  widowed  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Rob 
ert  Patterson,  one  of  the  fairest  and  most  ac 
complished  of  American-born  women,  was  now 
Marchioness  of  Wellesley,  her  second  husband 
being  a  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
Mrs.  Hervey,  also,  was  married  again,  and  to 
a  British  peer,  the  Duke  of  Leeds.  A  favour 
ite  grandchild,  Mrs.  McTavish  (Emily  Caton), 


Doughoregan  Manor  273 

spent  much  of  her  time  at  the  Manor,  where 
her  children  were  joyously  at  home,  and  a 
never-ceasing  delight  to  their  great-grand 
father. 

Never  was  old  age  more  painless  and  placid. 

August  2,  1826,  Mr.  Carroll  signed,  with  a 
hand  that  scarcely  trembled,  this  testimonial 
upon  a  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  now  in  the  New  York  City  Library  : 

"  Grateful  to  Almighty  GOD  for  the  blessing  which, 
through  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord,  He  has  conferred  upon 
my  beloved  country  in  her  emancipation,  and  upon  my 
self  in  permitting  me  under  circumstances  of  mercy  to 
live  to  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  and  to  survive  the 
fiftieth  year  of  American  Independence,  and  certifying 
by  my  present  signature  my  approbation  of  the  Declara 
tion  of  Independence  adopted  by  Congress  on  the  fourth 
day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord,  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-six,  which  I  originally  subscribed 
on  the  second  day  of  August  of  the  same  year,  and  of 
which  I  am,  now,  the  last  surviving  signer,  I  do  hereby 
recommend  to  the  present  and  future  generations  the 
principles  of  that  important  document  as  the  best  earthly 
inheritance  their  ancestors  could  bequeath  to  them,  and 
pray  that  the  civil  and  religious  liberties  they  have  se 
cured  to  my  country  may  be  perpetuated  to  the  remotest 
posterity  and  extended  to  the  whole  family  of  man." 

On  July  n,  1830,  the  faithful  son  of  his 
Church  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  now  splen- 


274       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

did  St.  Charles  College,  about  two  miles  from 
Doucrhoregan  Manor.  He  had  criven  the  land 

o  o  o 

upon  which  the  college  was  to  be  built,  and  a 
handsome  sum  toward  the  erection  of  the  same. 

And  so  one,  and  yet  another  year  glided  in 
and  out,  like  the  waves  of  a  summer  brook  rip 
pling  between  green  pastures.  The  golden- 
hearted  old  man  retired  early,  and  was  abroad 
betimes  on  the  morrow.  He  believed  and 
practised  his  belief  in  cold  baths,  horseback 
exercise,  regularity  in  meals,  and  temperance 
in  everything.  He  was  always  present  at 
morning  and  evening  prayers  in  the  chapel, 
and  passed  several  hours  of  each  day  in  the 
perusal  of  the  English,  Greek,  and  Latin  clas 
sics,  keeping  up  to  the  last  what  one  chroni 
cler  has  called  "  his  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
French  language."  In  his  ninety-third  year 
he  was  found  by  a  clerical  guest  deeply  en 
gaged  in  the  study  of  Cicero's  treatise  on 
"  Old  Age,"  in  the  original  Latin. 

"  After  the  Bible,"  he  added,  with  his  pecul 
iar  earnestness  and  vivacity  of  manner,  "  and 
The  Following  of  Christ,  give  me,  Sir,  the 
philosophic  works  of  Cicero."1 

1  Oration  upon  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  by  Rev.  Constantine 
Pise,  D.D.,  delivered  in  1832. 


Doughoregan  Manor  275 

The  beautiful  close  of  the  long,  long  day 
came  on  November  14,  1832.  Propped  in  his 
easy-chair,  his  daughter  and  her  children,  with 
other  relatives  kneeling  about  him,  he  received 
the  last  offices  of  the  Church.  These  over,  he 
was  laid  upon  the  bed.  His  last  words  were 
a  courteous  acknowledgment  of  his  physi 
cian's  effort  to  make  his  position  easier.  Then 
he  "  fell  on  sleep "  and  awoke  on  the  Other 
Side. 

His  grandson,  Charles  (V.)  Carroll,  suc 
ceeded  "  the  Signer  "  in  the  proprietorship  of 
Doughoregan  Manor,  and  he,  in  turn,  was  fol 
lowed  by  his  son,  Charles  (VI.),  born  in  1828. 
His  mother  was  Mary  Digges  Lee,  one  of  the 
Virginia  family  of  that  name.  He  married 
Miss  Caroline  Thompson,  also  a  Virginian  by 
birth.  Mr.  Carroll  died  in  1895. 

The  present  master  of  Doughoregan  Manor 
is  Hon.  John  Lee  Carroll,  Ex-Governor  of  the 
State  of  Maryland.  He  has  been  twice  mar 
ried  :  first,  to  Miss  Anita  Phelps  of  New  York, 
second,  to  Miss  Mary  Carter  Thompson,  a  sis 
ter  of  Mrs.  Charles  (VI.)  Carroll.  Mrs.  John 
Lee  Carroll  died  in  1899. 

One  of  Governor  Carroll's  daughters,  Mary 
Louisa,  married  Comte  Jean  de  Kergolay,  of 


276        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

France  ;  a  second,  Anita  Maria,  became  the 
wife  of  another  French  nobleman,  Baron  Louis 
de  la  Grange  ;  a  third  daughter,  Mary  Helen, 

is  Mrs.  Herbert 

^^^  D.  Robbins,  of 

New  York.  Of 
the  sons,  Royal 
Phelps  married 
Miss  Marion 
Langdon,  of 
New  York  city; 
Charles  (VII.) 
married  Miss 
Susanne  Ban 
croft.  The 
only  child  of 
Governor  Car- 

EX-QOVERNOR  JOHN   LEE  CARROLL. 

roll's   second 

marriage,  Philip  Acosta,  lives  with  his  father 
and  his  widowed  aunt  at  Doughoregan  Manor. 
The  short  avenue  leading  directly  from  the 
front  of  the  mansion  to  the  highway  was  for 
many  years  the  principal  approach  used  by 
family  and  visitors.  It  is  bordered  by  large 
trees,  and  affords  a  fine  view  of  central  build 
ing  and  wings,  that  to  the  visitor's  right  being 
the  chapel  built  in  1717  by  the  first  Charles 


Doughoregan  Manor  277 

Carroll.  Mrs.  Mary  Digges  Lee  Carroll,  the 
mother  of  Governor  Carroll  and  Charles  (VI.), 
a  woman  of  much  executive  ability  and  refined 
taste,  designed  the  winding  avenue  turning 
away  from  the  main  road  a  few  rods  beyond 
the  extensive  grounds  of  St.  Charles  College. 

After  a  drive  of  six  miles  over  the  macad 
amised  turnpike  laid  between  Ellicott  City 
and  Doughoregan  Manor,  on  the  fourth  of  a 
series  of  torrid  June  days  that  taxed  physical 
and  moral  powers  to  the  utmost,  the  relief  was 
sudden  and  exquisite  as  we  entered  the  green 
arches  of  the  wood  beyond  the  lodge-gates. 

The  crude  newness  of  the  u  City "  I  had 
left  behind,  made  hideously  depressing  by  the 
rough  thoroughfare  torn  up  and  hollowed  to 
receive  the  "  trolley  track,"  to  be  laid  from  the 
railway  station  to  the  College ;  the  glare  from 
the  pale  hot  heavens  reflected  from  the  glit 
tering  white  turnpike  until  I  was  fain  to  close 
my  eyes  upon  the  beauties  of  undulating  hills 
and  fertile  meadows  stretching  away  for  miles 
on  either  side  of  the  cruel  road,  were,  for  the 
next  delicious  half-hour,  as  if  they  had  not 
been.  Such  calm,  such  refreshment,  and  such 
generous  breadth  as  had  belonged  to  the  life 
of  him  whose  story  had  engaged  my  thoughts 


278        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

all  day,  were  about  us  and  beyond  us.  The 
dim  depths  of  the  wood  through  which  we 
wound  ;  the  velvety  reaches  of  lawn  that,  by- 
and-by,  appeared  between  the  trees  ;  the  ar 
tistic  grouping  of  plantations  of  shrubbery 
and  larger  growths  ;  the  glass  houses  and  gar 
dens  by  which  we  drove  around  to  the  porch 
and  hospitable  doorway, — all  were  English, 
and  of  a  civilisation  singularly  un-American  in 
design  and  finish. 

The  central  hall  is  luxurious  with  couches, 
cushions,  and  lounging-chairs,  and  full  of  the 
viewless,  pervasive  spirit  of  Home — a  sweet 
and  subtle  presence  that  meets  the  stranger 
upon  the  threshold  like  an  audible  benedic 
tion.  The  lines  of  the  noble  apartment  are 
not  broken  by  the  staircase  which  figures 
prominently  in  the  middle  distance  of  most 
colonial  houses,  and  in  the  narrower  passages 
of  modern  dwellings. 

Upon  the  wall  of  the  inner  and  smaller  hall, 
from  which  the  stairs  wind  to  the  upper  floors, 
hangs  a  map  of  the  estate,  as  laid  out  in  1699 
by  the  grandfather  of  Charles  Carroll  of  Car- 
rollton.  The  primitive  specification  of  "  two 
boundary  oaks "  is  given  upon  the  ancient 
chart.  The  places  of  the  departed  trees  are 


Doughoregan  Manor  279 

now  designated  by  two  memorial  stones. 
There  were  14,500  acres  of  arable  and  wood 
lands  in  this  original  grant  from  the  4<  Lord 
Baron  of  Baltimore."  All  but  one  thousand 
acres  still  pertain  to  the  estate.  A  great  slice, 
or  section,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  domain 
is  known  as  "  the  Folly."  Not,  as  it  may  be 
needful  to  explain,  because  it  was  willed  to  cer 
tain  daughters  of  the  house,  Mrs.  McTavish 
and  others.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
origin  of  the  term,  it  has  become  technical, 
and  occurs  often  in  English  title-deeds. 

From  the  inner  hall  we  enter  the  bedroom 
in  which  "  the  Signer  "  died,  consecrated  even 
more  by  his  blameless  life  than  by  his  holy  de 
parture.  The  adjoining  drawing-room  is  rich 
in  historic  portraits,  conspicuous  among  them 
being  the  Crichton  of  "  Homewood."  The 
walls  are  panelled  from  floor  to  ceiling  in  rich, 
dark  woods,  and  like  all  else  in  house  and 
grounds,  in  perfect  preservation. 

In  a  niche  of  the  dining-room  across  the  hall 
stands  a  tall  clock  that  has  marked  the  hours 
of  birth,  of  living,  and  of  death  for  the  Car 
roll  race  for  over  a  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
From  the  panel  over  the  mantel  the  founder 
of  the  American  branch  of  the  family  looks 


280       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

majestically  down  upon  the  goodly  company 
of  his  lineal  descendants  who  assemble  daily 
about  the  beautiful  board  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  Near  by,  his  son,  Carroll  of  Annapolis, 
repeats  the  family  lineaments  with  marked 
fidelity.  The  transmission  of  the  racial  type 
with  so  few  modifications  from  generation  to 
generation  is  consequent,  no  doubt,  upon  the 
intermarriages  which  we  have  noted.  We  must 
look  to  other  and  more  occult  influences  to  ac 
count  for  the  extraordinary  resemblance  to 
Charles  Carroll  of  "Homewood"  that,  in  one 
of  his  great-grandsons,  is  so  exact  as  to  be 
startling  to  those  who  have  studied  his  por 
trait  in  the  Manor  drawing-room.  The  repro 
duction  of  feature,  colouring,  and  expression 
in  the  third  generation  is  almost  eerie. 

A  likeness  of  "  the  Signer,"  taken  when  he 
had  passed  his  eightieth  year,  is  in  the  dining- 
room.  It  was  given  by  him  to  the  patroon, 
Mr.  Van  Rensselaer,  and  after  the  latter's 
death  was  presented  by  his  daughter  to  Mr. 
Carroll's  family.  The  wainscot  of  this  room 
is  valuable  and  curious  :  a  sort  of  plaster  or 
concrete,  of  a  warm  cream  colour,  sound  and 
smooth,  although  laid  on  and  moulded  more 
than  a  century  ago.  Over  the  doors  are  the 


Doughoregan  Manor  283 

heads  of  wild  animals  killed  in  hunting  by  the 
absent  sons  of  the  household ;  the  yachting- 
cups  upon  the  buffet  were  also  won  by  them. 

What  is,  I  believe,  the  only  private  chapel 
attached  to  a  colonial  homestead,  is  a  silent 
witness  to  the  loyalty  of  the  Carrolls  to  their 
ancestral  faith.  The  few  changes  made  in  the 
interior  have  been  careful  restorations.  We 
see  the  sacred  place  as  the  founders  planned 
it,  seven  generations  ago,  an  oblong  room  of 
admirable  proportions,  and  tasteful,  yet  simple, 
in  decoration.  In  passing  up  the  aisle,  my 
host  stayed  me  to  show  where  the  "  poor  little 
infant,  the  dear  and  engaging"  yearling  of 
Charles  Carroll  of  "  Homewood"  and  Harriet 
Chew,  was  laid.  Mrs.  Darnall,  the  mother- 
in-law  and  aunt  of  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  his 
father,  and  the  wife  to  whose  dear  memory  he 
remained  true  through  fifty  years  of  widower- 
hood,  also  lie  here.  "The  Signer"  was  buried 
under  the  chancel.  Upon  a  mural  tablet  to 
him,  at  the  left  of  the  altar,  is  a  bas-relief  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  with  a  pen 
laid  across  it ;  above  this  are  the  thirteen  stars 
of  the  original  States,  and,  set  high  above  all, 
is  the  Cross,  the  symbol  of  his  religion. 

A  congregation  of  from  three  to  four  him- 


284       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

dred  meets  here  every  Sunday  for  worship^ 
coming  from  all  quarters  of  the  neighbour 
hood.  When  front  and  back  doors  are  open, 
framing  pictures  of  park,  trees,  and  ornamental 
shrubs  ;  when  the  birds,  nesting  in  the  ivied 
curtains  of  the  ancient  walls,  and  running  fear 
lessly  over  the  sward,  join  their  songs  to  organ 
and  chant,  one  gets  very  near  to  Nature's  heart 
and  to  the  Father-heart  that  loveth  all. 


X 

THE  RIDGELY  HOUSE, 
DOVER,  DELAWARE 

"  Soon  after  Perm's  arrival  in  America  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  county  seat  in  the  centre  of  '  St.  Jones 
County.'  In  1683  he  issued  a  warrant,  authorizing  the 
surveyor  to  lay  out  a  town  to  be  called  '  Dover.'  It  was 
not  until  1694,  however,  that  the  land  of  the  town  was 
purchased.  .  .  .  The  price  paid  the  Indians  was  two 
match-coats,  twelve  bottles  of  drink,  and  four  handfuls 
of  powder.  The  old  court  house  was  built  in  1697. 

"  Dover  has  sent  to  Washington  a  Secretary  of  State, 
.an  Attorney  General,  a  District  Judge,  two  Senators,  and 
eight  Representatives.  To  the  State  she  has  given  four 
Governors,  five  Chancellors,  five  Chief-Justices,  four 
Associate  Judges,  six  Secretaries  of  State,  and  six  At 
torneys  General."  1 

The  Green  is  the  heart  of  old  Dover. 

It  is  a  quiet  heart,  this  oblong  of  turf  and 
trees,  but  four  or  five  city  blocks  in  length, 
with  "The  King's  Road"  running,  like  an  ar- 

1  Ridgely  MSS. 

285 


286       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

tery,  through  it.  About  it  on  all  sides  stand 
homesteads  that  were  here  when  Dover  was 
a  village,  and  the  State  of  which  it  is  the 
capital  was  a  dependence  of  the  British 
Crown.  At  the  eastern  end  is  the  State 
House,  erected  upon  the  site  of  the  older  and 
first  edifice  of  the  same  name  that  was  here 
a  hundred  years  agone.  Hard  by  is  the 
dwelling  built  early  in  the  eighteenth  cent 
ury,  and  subsequently  tenanted  by  Dr.  Sam 
uel  Chew  before  a  goodly  slice  was  pared 
from  southeastern  Pennsylvania  and  christened 
"  Delaware."  (See  "  Cliveden,"  Some  Colonial 
Homesteads,  p.  107).  Here  was  born  Chief- 
Justice  Benjamin  Chew,  who,  prior  to  his  re 
moval  to  Pennsylvania  in  1754,  was  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Delegates  in  Dover.  The 
building  is  sound  and  comfortably  habitable 
and  is  still  known  as  "  the  Chew  House,"  al 
though  it  was  occupied  for  several  years  by 
one  of  the  most  eminent  sons  of  Delaware, 
John  Middleton  Clayton.  Mr.  Clayton  was 
Chief-Justice  of  his  native  State,  twice  U.  S. 
Senator,  and,  upon  the  accession  of  General 
Taylor  to  the  Presidency,  Secretary  of  State. 
The  homestead  of  his  brother-in-law,  the  late 
Hon.  Joseph  P.  Cornegys,  at  the  other  ex- 


The  Ridgely  House  287 

tremity  of  The  Green,  is  full  of  interesting- 
souvenirs  of  the  lives  of  both  these  distin 
guished  men,  and  of  early  periods  of  family 
and  State  history.  Every  foot  of  the  brief 
parallelogram  of  earth  hemmed  about  with 
ancestral  houses  is  steeped  in  tradition  and 
romance.  In  the  busiest  noontime  the  place 
is  never  noisy.  After  learning  who  lived  here 
and  how  they  lived — and  died — fancy  easily 
conjures  up  the  figure  of  the  Muse  of  History 
standing  beside  The  King's  Road,  her  up 
lifted  finger  warning  aside  the  thoughtless  and 
sacrilegious  from  holy  ground. 

I  copy  again  from  the  Ridgely  MSS.  kindly 
placed  at  my  disposal  by  Mrs.  Henry  Ridgely,, 
Jr.,  of  Dover. 

"  Here  a  regiment  was  raised  and  mustered  by  Col. 
John  Haslet  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  A 
few  days  after  the  news  of  the  act  of  Congress  reached 
Dover  they  marched  to  the  headquarters  of  the  army 
and  placed  themselves  under  the  immediate  command 
of  Gen.  Washington.  They  probably  remained  in  Dover 
long  enough,  however,  to  assist  in  the  ceremony  of  the 
burning  of  the  portrait  of  the  King  of  Great  Britain,, 
which  took  place  upon  The  Green  on  the  receipt  of 
Caesar  Rodney's  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence.  A  procession  marched  around  the  fire  to  solemn 
music  while  the  President  of  the  State  declared  that, 


288       More  Colonial  Homesteads 


4  compelled  by  strong  necessity,  thus  we  destroy  even  the 
•shadow  of  that  King  who  refused  to  reign  over  a  free 
people.'  Upon  The  Green,  at  a  later  date,  was  the  final 
muster  of  the  gallant  Delaware  regiment  before  their 
•disastrous  campaign  in  the  South.  This  regiment  is  said 
to  have  been  in  more  engagements  and  to  have  suffered 
more  than  any  other  troops  of  the  army." 

The  Vining  house  is  nearer  the  arterial  road 
than  the  Comegys  mansion,  and  on  the  north 
ern  side  of  The  Green.  Of  the  family  who 
made  it  famous  I  shall  have  more  to  say  by- 
.and-by.  Across  the  road,  and  on  the  same 
side  of  the  street  skirting  The  Green,  is  the 
Ridgely  House,  one  of  the  oldest  dwellings  in 

Dover,  and  almost  in 
the  shadow  of  the  State 
House. 

The  Honourable 
Henry  (I.)  Ridgely  of 
Devonshire,  England, 
settled  in  Maryland  in 
1659,  upon  a  Royal 
grant  of  6000  acres  of 
land.  He  became  a 
colonel  of  Colonial  Mil 
itia,  Member  of  the  As 
sembly,  one  of  the  Governmental  Council, 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  Vestryman  of  the 


RIDQELY  CREST. 


The  Ridgely  House  289 

Parish  Church  of  Anne  Arundel,  dying,  after  a 
prosperous  life,  in  1710. 

His  nameson  and  heir,  Henry  (II.),  lived 
and  died  at  "  Warbridge,"  the  home  the  father 
had  made  near  Annapolis.  Although  but 
thirty  at  his  death  in  1699,  he  left  a  widow 
.and  three  children.  With  that  one  who  bore 
his  name,  Henry  (III.),  this  story  has  little  to 
do.  His  biography  and  dwelling-place  are 
catalogued  with  other  Maryland  worthies  and 
homesteads. 

Nicholas  Ridgely,  the  second  son,  was  born 
at  Warbridge  in  1694.  He  was,  therefore, 
thirty-eight  years  old  when  he  removed  to 
•"  Eden  Hill,"  a  handsome  plantation  near 
Dover,  and  bought  also  the  house  on  "  The 
Green,"  built  in  1728.  Mr.  Ridgely  at  once 
took  his  place  among  the  leading  citizens  of 
his  adopted  State,  filling  with  honour  the  of 
fices  of  Treasurer  of  Kent  County,  Clerk  of 
the  Peace,  Justice  of  Peace,  Prothonotary  and 
Register  in  Chancery,  and  Judge  of  the  Su 
preme  Court  of  Newcastle,  Kent,  and  Sussex 
Counties,  enjoying  the  honour  until  his  death 

in  1755- 

"  In  1735,  as  foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury,  he  signed  a 
petition  to  King  George  II.  against  granting  a  charter  to 


290       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Lord  Baltimore,  in  abrogation  of  the  rights  of  the  Penn 
family  in  the  '  Three  Lower  Counties.' 

"  In  1745,  he  was  elected  by  Caesar  Rodney  to  be  his 
guardian  ;  and  his  papers  show  his  great  interest  in,  and 
warm  attachment  to,  a  ward  who  proved  to  be  the  most 
distinguished  patriot  of  his  State, 

"  To  his  training  may  partly  be  attributed  the  success 
ful  career  of  Charles  Ridgely,  his  son,  John  Vining,  his 
wife's  grandson,  and  Caesar  Rodney,  his  ward. 

"  His  wife  was  Mary  Middleton,  widow  of  Captain 
Benj.  Vining,  of  Salem,  New  Jersey. 

"  Her  son,  Judge  John  Vining,  married  Phoebe  Wyn- 
koop,  and  their  son  John  was  called  the  '  Patrick  Henry 
of  Delaware,'  a  brilliant  lawyer,  great  wit,  member  of 
the  first  Continental  Congress,  and  known  as  the  '  Pet  of 
Delaware.'  His  sister  Mary  was  a  beautiful  girl  and  a 
great  belle."  : 

Of  whom  more  anon. 

Dr.  Charles  Ridgely  was  born  in  1738, 
studied  medicine,  and  became  an  eminent 
physician,  filling  also  many  positions  of  public 
trust.  His  son  Nicholas,  born  of  his  first  mar 
riage  (to  Mary  Wynkoop),  was  known  as  the 
"  Father  of  Chancery  in  Delaware."  Dr. 
Ridgely's  second  wife,  Anne  Moore,  brought 
him  five  children. 

Henry  Moore  Ridgely,  his  son,  succeeded 
him  in  the  proprietorship  of  the  homestead, 

1  Ridgely  MSS. 


The  Ridgely  House  291 

at  the  father's  death  in  1785.  He  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar  in  1802.  An  incident  con 
nected  with  this  stage  of  his  career  is  of 
interest,  as  illustrating  the  temper  and  cus 
toms  of  that  day  and  the  fiery  spirit  of  the 
chief  actor  in  it  : 

"  Dr.  Barrett  of  Dover  was  grossly  insulted  by  a  Mr. 
Shields  of  Wilmington,  and  sought  satisfaction  through 
the  code.  He  desired  Mr.  Ridgely  to  bear  his  chal 
lenge.  Shields  refused  to  meet  Dr.  Barrett,  but  chal 
lenged  Mr.  Ridgely  himself.  The  duel  was  fought,  and 
Mr.  Ridgely  severely  wounded.  For  a  time  his  life  was 
despaired  of,  and  although  he  recovered,  Mr.  Shields 
was  obliged  to  leave  Wilmington,  public  sentiment 
against  him  being  so  strong  that  he  could  nol  live  it 
down." 

In  strong  contrast  to  this  stormy  introduc 
tion,  I  give  a  rapid  rdsumt  of  Henry  Moore 
Ridgely's  public  life  : 

He  was  a  member  of  the  House  in  Con 
gress  from  1811-13;  Secretary  of  the  State 
of  Delaware  in  1817,  and  again  in  1824,  per 
forming  a  most  valuable  and  laborious  work 
in  this  office,  in  collecting  and  arranging  in 
proper  form  for  preservation  the  scattered 
and  poorly  kept  archives  of  the  State. 

He  v/as  repeatedly  elected  to  the  Legislat- 


292       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ure,  and  framed  some  most  important  laws ; 
was  elected  by  the  Legislature  to  the  United 
States  Senate  in  1827,  where  he  was  known, 
as  he  had  been  in  the  House,  as  the  advocate 
of  a  protective  tariff. 

A  true  anecdote  relative  to  the  persistency 
with  which  his  fellow-citizens  thrust  greatness 
upon  him,  their  good  and  gallant  servant, 
faithful  in  the  few  and  lesser  matters  of  his 
stewardship  as  in  the  many  and  weighty,  was 
told  to  me  by  a  member  of  the  family.  It  is, 
of  course,  a  Delaware  edition  of  an  episode  of 
an  Athenian  election  day  more  than  two  thou 
sand  years  old  ;  another  of  the  million  self- 
repetitions  of  history  and  human  nature  : 

Mr.  Ridgely  was  walking  through  "  The 
Green  "  on  the  day  of  his  second  election  to 
Congress  when  a  countryman  accosted  him 
with,  "  Say,  Mister !  you  can  write,  can't 
you?"  Upon  receiving  a  reply,  he  thrust  a 
ticket  into  the  gentleman's  hand,  asking  him 
to  "  scratch  out  Ridgely's  name,"  and  substi 
tute  one  which  he  named  carelessly.  Mr. 
Ridgely  complied,  and  in  handing  the  ticket 
back,  inquired  smilingly  : 

"  Would  you  object  to  telling  me  what  you 
have  against  Mr.  Ridgely  ?  Do  you  know  him  ?" 


The  Ridgely  House 


293 


"  Never  saw  him  in  my  life  !  Don't  know 
nothing  against  him.  But  I  certainly  am  sick 
and  tired  of  having  his  name  on  my  ticket 
every  election  day.  That  's  all." 


HENRY  MOORE   RIDGELY. 


Mr.  Ridgely  retired  from  public  life  in  1832. 
He  died  in  the  old  house  on  "The  Green" 
upon  his  eighty-second  birthday,  August  6, 
1847.  He  left  fifteen  children.  The  eldest 


294        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  these,  Henry  (V.)  Ridgely,  is  now,  in  a 
serene  and  honoured  old  age,  a  resident  of 
Dover,  although  his  home  was,  until  recently, 
at  "  Eden  Hill."  His  son  Henry  (VI.),  a 
prominent  lawyer,  occupies  the  family  home 
stead  hard  by  the  State  House. 

The  exterior  is  severely  plain.  The  walls 
are  flush  with  the  sidewalk,  the  windows  of 
drawing-room,  library,  and  the  master's  law- 
office  on  the  ground-floor  are  so  low  that 
pedestrians  could  rest  their  elbows  sociably 
upon  the  sills  and  chat  with  the  occupants. 
The  interior  is  unconventional,  full  of  unex 
pectedness,  and  altogether  captivating.  The 
floral  designs  of  the  low  ceilings  are  the  work 
of  Miss  Rose  Virden,  a  Dover  artist  of  much 
promise  and  a  graduate  of  the  Artists'  League 
of  New  York.  The  delicate  tinting  of  draw 
ing-room  walls  and  the  artistic  hangings  of  the 
guest-chamber  contrast  harmoniously  with  the 
dark  panelling  of  the  wide  hall,  which  is  also 
the  library.  In  the  far  corner  of  this  last, 
remote  from  the  fire-place  is  the  quaintest, 
crookedest  staircase  conceivable  by  builder's 
brain  and  passable  by  human  feet.  It  runs 
directly — or  as  directly  as  is  consistent  with 
the  tortuousness  aforesaid — down  into  the  hall. 


The  Ridgely  House  295 

On  this,  the  second  day  of  my  sojourn  in 
the  haunted  house,  I  listen  to  a  story  which 
adds  another  to  the  wraiths  mingling  with  the 
flesh-and-blood  entities  whose  own  the  en 
chanted  ground  is  now.  The  romance  belongs 
to  the  school  represented  by  The  Spectator  s 
list  of  killed  and  wounded  in  Bill  of  Mortality 
of  Lovers.  Such  as— 

"  T.  S.,  wounded  by  Zerlinda's  scarlet  stock 
ing  as  she  was  stepping  out  of  a  coach," 
and— 

"  Musidorus,  slain  by  an  arrow  that  flew 
out  of  a  dimple  in  Belinda's  left  cheek." 

A  daughter  of  the  Ridgely  house  had,  among 
other  marketable  charms,  a  perfect  foot  and 
ankle.  A  susceptible  swain,  who  had  been 
unfortunate  in  his  wooing,  paid  a  farewell  call 
to  his  inamorata  almost  upon  the  eve  of  her 
marriage  with  another  man.  While  seated  in 
the  hall  awaiting  her  appearance,  he  heard  the 
tap  of  her  high-heeled  slippers  on  the  winding 
stairway  and  saw  appear  at  the  last,  steepest 
and  sharpest  turn  of  the  flight — above  the 
slippered  foot, — slender,  round,  supple,  swathed 
in  snowy  silk, — THE  ANKLE  ! 

"  Whereupon,"  concludes  the  laughing  nar 
rator,  "  the  poor  fellow  swooned  away  on  the 


296       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

spot.      It  sounds  very  absurd,  but  that  was  the 
sort  of  thing  they  did  in  those  clays." 

Sitting  by  the   window  in    the  same  place 
and,    for  all    I  know   to   the   contrary,    in    the 


WILLIAM  PENN'S  CHAIR  AND  CORNER  OF  LIBRARY  IN   RIDQELY  HOUSE. 

very  chair  the  swooning  swain  may  have 
occupied  on  the  well-nigh  fatal  occasion — I 
hear  another  tale  of  another  sort  of  thing 
they  did  in  those  days. 

Mr.  Nicholas   Ridgely,  as  his  genealogy  has 


The  Ridgely  House  297 


informed  us,  became  the  guardian,  in  1745,  of 
an  orphaned  youth  of  seventeen,  Caesar 
Rodney  by  name. 

"William  Rodney  married  Alice,  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Thomas  Caesar,  an  eminent  merchant  of  the  city  of 
London,  and  his  son  William  died  near  Dover,  Delaware, 
in  the  year  1708,  leaving  eight  children  and  a  consider 
able  landed  estate  which  was  entailed,  and,  by  the 
decease  of  elder  sons,  finally  vested  in  his  youngest  son, 
Caesar,  who  continued  his  residence  as  a  landed  proprie 
tor  in  Delaware  until  his  death  in  1745. 

"  Caesar  Rodney,  the  eldest  son  of  Caesar,  and  grand 
son  of  William  Rodney,  was  born  in  St.  Jones'  Neck 
near  Dover  in  Kent  County,  Delaware,  in  the  year 
1728. 

"  Mr.  Ridgely  caused  his  ward  to  be  instructed  in  the 
classics  and  general  literature,  and  in  the  accomplish 
ments  of  fencing  and  dancing,  to  fit  his  bearing  and 
manners  becomingly  to  the  station  in  life  in  which  he 
was  born." 

So  well  was  the  work  done  that  the  princely 
young  fellow  came  into  his  kingdom  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  well-equipped  in  body  and 
in  mind  for  leadership  in  society  and  in  State. 
His  brother,  Thomas  Rodney,  has  left  in  MS. 
a  picture  of  Delaware  life  at  that  period  which, 

1  Oration  delivered  by  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Bayard  in  1889,  upon  the 
occasion  of  unveiling  the  monument  of  Caesar  Rodney  at  Dover 
Delaware. 


298       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

in  many  features,  reminds  us  of  New  England, 
rather  than  of  a  Middle  Slave  State  : 

"  Almost  every  family  manufactured  their  own 
clothes  ;  and  beef,  pork,  poultry,  milk,  butter,  cheese, 
wheat,  and  Indian  corn  were  raised  by  themselves,  serv 
ing  them,  with  fruits  of  the  country  and  wild  game,  for 
food  ;  cider,  small  beer,  and  peach  and  apple  brandy, 
for  drink.  The  best  families  in  the  country  but  seldom 
used  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  or  sugar,  for  honey  was  their 
sweetening.  .  .  .  The  largest  farmers  at  that  time 
did  not  sow  over  twenty  acres  of  wheat,  nor  tend  more 
than  thirty  acres  of  Indian  corn." 

Very  un-New  England,  however,  was  the 
jolly  comradeship  that  prevailed  in  village  and 
country.  Everybody  knew  everybody  else. 
"  Indeed,"  says  the  Rodney  MS., 

41  they  seemed  to  live,  as  it  were,  in  concord,  for  they 
constantly  associated  together  at  one  house  or  another  in 
considerable  numbers,  to  play  and  frolic,  at  which  times 
the  young  people  would  dance,  and  the  elder  ones 
wrestle,  run,  hop,  or  jump,  or  throw  the  disc,  or  play  at 
some  rustic  and  manly  exercises. 

''  On  Christmas  Eve  there  was  a  universal  firing  of 
guns,  travelling  'round  from  house  to  house,  during  the 
holiday,  and  all  winter  there  was  a  continual  frolic, 
shooting-matches,  twelfth  cakes,  etc." 

Caesar  Rodney  was  a  favourite  with  high  and 
low,  the  lowest  class  being  represented  by  the 


The  Ridgely  House  299 

negro  slaves.  He  was  "  about  five  feet  ten 
inches  high,"  writes  his  brother.  "  His  person 
was  very  elegant  and  genteel,  his  manners 
graceful,  easy  and  polite.  He  had  a  good 
fund  of  humour  and  the  happiest  talent  in  the 
world  of  making  his  wit  agreeable." 

When  it  was  known  that  he  had  political 
aspirations,  the  popularity  gained  by  the  kind 
heart,  the  pleasing  personality,  and  the  ready 
wit  graded  and  smoothed  the  path  many  found 
arduous.  In  1758,  when  he  was  barely  thirty 
years  of  age,  he  was  High  Sheriff  of  his  native 
county  of  Kent  ;  two  years  later,  a  Judge  of 
the  Lower  Courts.  In  1765,  he  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  "  Stamp  Act  Congress  "  which  was 
convened  in  New  York  City.  A  New  York 
newspaper  of  1812  gives  a  post-mortem  sketch 
of  "  the  estimable  and  patriotic  Caesar  Rod 
ney,  for  many  years  the  great  prop  and  stay 
of  Whiggism  in  the  lower  part  of  his  native 
State." 

In  1766,  he  was  one  of  the  Committee  ap 
pointed  to  draft  resolutions  addressed  to 
George  III.,  thanking  him  for  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act,  and  assuring  him  of  the  loyalty 
of  the  Delaware  Legislature  and  the  constitu 
ency  it  represented.  As  a  member  of  this 


300       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Legislature  he  threw  all  the  weight  of  his  in 
fluence  into  the  ineffectual  effort  to  stop  the 
importation  of  slaves  into  Delaware. 

No  man  in  the  Province  had  the  promise  of 
a  brighter  future  than  the  rising  statesman, 
trusted  and  beloved  by  his  fellow-citizens,  the 
co-worker  of  the  first  men  in  the  Colonies— 
when  on  June  7,  1768,  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
of  a  visit  paid  to  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose 
of  consulting  physicians  there  upon  "  a  matter 
that  had  given  him  some  uneasiness."  The 
matter  proved  to  be  a  cancer  in  the  nostrils, 
"  a  most  dangerous  place."  His  friends  strongly 
advised  him  to  "  sail  at  once  for  England,  and 
by  no  means  to  trust  to  any  person  here." 

A  few  days  later  he  wrote  again  that  he 
had  decided  to  put  himself  into  the  hands  of 
Dr.  Thomas  Bond  of  Philadelphia.  Should 
the  treatment  adopted  by  him  "  fail  in  making 
a  cure,"  he  should  go  to  England. 

"  But  to  conclude,  my  case  is  truly  dangerous,  and 
what  will  be  the  event,  GOD  only  knows.  I  still  live 
in  hopes,  and  still  retain  my  usual  flow  of  spirits.  My 
compliments  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vining.  Tell  Mrs.  Vining 
the  cloud  now  hanging  over  me,  tho'  dark  and  dismal, 
may  (God  willing)  one  day  disperse." 

Mrs.    Vining   was    the    sister-in-law    of    the 


The  Ridgely  House  301 

woman  he  had  loved,  and  whom  he  had  hoped 
to  marry  in  the  heyday  of  his  youth  and  popu 
larity.  There  is  nothing  sadder  in  the  archives 
of  the  Vining,  or  Rodney,  or  Ridgely  family 
than  a  creased  and  torn  u  returned  "  letter  in 


TABLE  OWNED  BY  CAPT.  JONES,  1800,  IN   BEDROOM  OF  RIDQELY  HOUSE. 

his  strong,  legible  hand.  It  was  written 
from  his  guardian's  house  in  Dover,  May  27, 
I76:.1 

"  Yesterday  evening  (by  Mr  Chew's  Tom)  I  had  the 
unwelcome  and  unexpected  news  of  your  determining  to 
go  to  Philadelphia,  with  Mr.  &  Misses  Chew — If  you 

1  American  Historical  Register,  July,  1895. 


302       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Remember,  as  we  were  riding  to  Noyontown  Fair,  you 
talked  of  taking  this  journey  &  mentioned  my  going, 
with  you  ;  you  know  how  readily  I  \torn\  &  how 
willing  in  this,  as  in  everything  else,  I  was  to  oblige  & 
serve  you.  .  .  .  When  I  was  last  down,  you  seemed  to 
have  given  over  all  thoughts  of  going.  This  determined 
me,  &  accordingly,  gave  Mr.  Chew,  for  answer,  that  he 
might  not  expect  me  with  him  ;  thereby  I  'm  deprived 
of  the  greatest  pleasure  this  World  could  possibly  afford 
me — the  company  of  that  lady  in  whom  all  happiness  is 
placed.  .  .  .  Molly  !  I  love  you  from  my  soul  !  In  this, 
believe  me,  I  'm  sincere,  &  honest  :  but  when  I  think  of 
the  many  amiable  qualifications  you  are  possessed  of— 
all  my  hopes  are  at  an  end — nevertheless  intended 
\torn\  down  this  week,  &  as  far  as  possible  to  have 
known  my  fate.  .  .  .  You  may  expect  to  see  me  at 
your  return.  Till  then,  God  bless  you. 

"  I  'm  Yrs." 

Miss  Mary  (Molly)  Vining  was  the  lovely 
aunt  of  a  more  beautiful  niece  who  was  named 
for  her,  and  was  endeared  to  Caesar  Rodney 
on  that  account.  The  elder  Molly — to  whom 
was  written  the  letter,  so  incoherent  and  ill- 
expressed  that  one  hears  all  through  it  the 
irregular  heart-beats  and  broken  breaths  of 
the  impassioned,  doubting  lover — married  the 
Right  Reverend  Charles  Ingles,  who  was  first 
Bishop  to  the  Colonies.  She  outlived  her 
bridal  day  but  a  year,  dying  in  i  764. 


The  Ridgely  House  305 

She  had,  then,  been  in  her  grave  four  years 
when  the  horrible  shadow  of  doom  overtook 
her  former  suitor,  a  cloud  which  was  never  to 
be  dispersed  until  it  thickened  into  the  night 
of  death.  Fallacious  hopes  ;  discouragements  ; 
a  rally  of  the  brave  soul  to  sustain  the 
"  usual  flow  of  spirits  "  ;  the  valiant  purpose  to 
sink  selfish  dreads  in  unremitting  labours  for 
the  good  of  his  kind  and  his  country — these 
were  the  fluctuations  of  feeling  and  reason  that 
were  to  fill  the  next  fourteen  years  of  the  life 
he  would  not,  could  not,  believe  was  irrepar 
ably  blighted. 

In  one  of  the  deceitful  lulls  in  the  progress 
of  the  disease,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
Speaker  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  (in  1769). 
Before  the  session  was  ended  he  was  identi 
fied  with  the  more  resolute  of  the  Colonists 
who  were  already  banding  themselves  together 
to  resist  the  growing  aggressions  of  the  parent 
government.  His  name  stood  first  upon  the 
committee  of  three  deputies  to  the  Contin 
ental  Congress  called  by  the  voice  of  the  people 
to  assemble  in  Philadelphia  in  1774.  Another 
representative  to  this  body  was  George  Wash 
ington  of  Virginia. 

Again  Caesar  Rodney's  name  stood  foremost 


304       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

among  those  of  the  "  Deputies  to  the  general 
Congress  "  called  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  May 
10,  1776.  Mr.  Bayard  says  of  him  at  this 
crucial  period  in  our  national  struggle  : 

"  He  was  a  man  of  action  in  an  era  of  action  ;  born, 
not  out  of  his  proper  time,  but  in  it  ;  and,  being  fitted 
for  the  hour  and  its  work,  he  did  it  well.  He  was 
recognised,  and,  naturally,  at  once  became  influential 
and  impressive — distinguished  for  the  qualities  which 
were  needed  in  the  days  in  which  he  lived  on  earth.  .  .  . 
Moved  by  patriotic  impulse,  he  had  counselled  the  selec 
tion  of  Washington  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Col 
onial  forces,  and  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
conflict,  sought  to  hold  up  his  hands  and  sustain  him 
at  all  times  and  in  all  ways." 

The  distinguished  orator  goes  on  to  quote 
from  another  eminent  jurist  to  the  effect 
that  "  to  Rodney,  more  than  to  any  other  man 
in  Delaware,  do  we  owe  the  position  which 
our  State  and  people  took  in  that  most  im 
portant  contest," — i.  e.,  the  War  for  Inde 
pendence. 

In  furtherance  of  the  great  purpose  he  had 
at  heart,  he  came  home  to  strengthen  the 
hearts  of  timid  constituents  and  to  advise  with 
cool  heads  and  steadfast  hearts  like  his  own, 
over  the  final  step,  then  imminent,  to  be  taken 
by  Congress. 


The  Ridgely  House  305 

"  On  one  side  stand  a  doubtful  experience  and 
a  bloody  war  ;  on  the  other  side  unconditional 
submission  to  the  power  of  Great  Britain.'' 

This  was  the  situation  as  he  put  it  before 
himself  and  his  fellow-citizens.  If  they  had 
much  to  lose,  he  had  more  :  fortune,  the  friends 
of  years,  many  of  whom,  even  those  in  the 
Congress  with  him,  were  opposed  to  the  formal 
severance  of  the  tie  binding  Great  Britain  to 
her  restless  colonies  ;  probably  his  life,  for  he 
was  colonel  of  the  "  upper  regiment  of  Kent 
County,"  and  pledged  to  bring  fifteen  hun 
dred  men  into  the  field  should  war  be  de 
clared.  He  was  absent  from  Congress  upon 
this  errand,  and  energetically  canvassing  the 
counties  of  Sussex  and  his  native  Kent,  when 
Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Virginia,  on  June  7th, 
executed  his  immortal  coup  d'etat  by  offering 
the  resolution,  "  That  the  United  States  are, 
and  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States, 
and  that  political  connexion  with  Great  Britain 
ought  to  be  dissolved." 

The  resolution  was  passed  in  secret  session 
by  six  out  of  seven  States,  on  June  8th. 

Caesar  Rodney,  Thomas  McKean,  and 
George  Read  were  delegates  from  Delaware. 
McKean  voted  for  the  resolution  ;  Read,  al- 


306        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

though  Rodney's  intimate  friend,  against  it, 
making  a  tie  in  the  State  vote.  A  second 
vote,  to  secure  unanimity  if  possible,  was 
taken  on  July  ist.  Nine  colonies  were  in  fa 
vour  of  the  passage  of  the  motion  into  an 
act  ;  South  Carolina  and  Quaker  Pennsyl 
vania  were  against  it.  Delaware  was  divided, 
as  before.  A  third  ballot  was  ordered  for 
July  4th,  and  Thomas  McKean,  aroused  to 
frantic  energy  by  the  peril  of  the  occasion, 
mounted  a  trusty  messenger  upon  a  swift 
horse  and  bade  him  ride,  as  for  life,  to  find 
Caesar  Rodney,  and  bring  him  to  Philadelphia. 

Local  and  family  traditions  give  an  explana 
tion  of  his  prolonged  absence  and  silence  at 
this  crisis  which  is  not  offered  by  history.  Ac 
cording  to  this,  McKean  had  not  waited  until 
the  eleventh  hour  before  summoning  his  col 
league.  More  than  one  letter  had  been  de 
spatched  to  Kent,  describing  the  gravity  of 
the  position  at  headquarters,  and  entreating 
Rodney  to  hasten  his  return.  Not  one  line 
of  these  had  reached  the  unconscious  ab 
sentee. 

Postal  facilities  were  few  and  slow,  and 
Rodney  seems  to  have  rested  in  the  convic 
tion  that  McKean  would  recall  him  if  he  were 


The  Ridgely  House  307 

needed,  to  have  and  gone  on  with  his  can 
vass  unconcernedly,  addressing  public  meet 
ings,  visiting  from  plantation  to  plantation, 
and,  in  the  interim  of  pressing  duties,  solacing 
his  cares  by  the  society  of  intimate  friends, 
notably  the  Vinings  and  Ridgelys,  when  he 
was  in  Dover. 

Mr.  Bayard  opines  that  the  express,  sent, 
Mr.  McKean  says,  at  his  own  private  expense, 
"  must  have  found  Mr.  Rodney  at  one  of  his 
farms,  '  Byfield,'  or  *  Poplar  Grove.' ' 

I  could  not  forgive  myself  if  I  did  not  give 
the  afore-mentioned  tradition  (in  this  instance 
as  truthful  as  her  younger  and  more  cautious 
sister,  History)  in  the  very  words  of  the 
Ridgely  MSS.,  produced  for  me,  at  my  ear 
nest  petition,  at  this  point  of  the  story  : 

"  A  celebrity  of  Lewes,  the  old  seaport  of  Delaware, 
was  Sarah  Rowland,  who,  according  to  tradition,  almost 
prevented  the  Declaration  of  Independence  from  having 
the  necessary  number  of  signers. 

"  She  was  a  beautiful  Tory,  for,  in  the  first  years  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  there  were  many  friends  of  Eng 
land  in  the  lower  part  of  this  peninsula.  The  news  of  a 
Tory  uprising  in  Sussex  County  and  Maryland  reaching 
Caesar  Rodney,  who  was  attending  the  Delegates'  Con 
vention  in  Philadelphia,  he  immediately  mounted  his 
horse  and  went  thundering  down  the  State,  using  threats 


308       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

and  persuasions  all  along  the  road.  While  at  Lewes  the 
beautiful  Sarah  so  infatuated  him  by  her  charms  that  he 
lingered  longer  than  his  business  required,  and  was  only 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  his  delinquencies  when  he  was  pre 
sented  by  a  loyal  servant-girl  in  the  Rowland  household 
with  a  number  of  letters  which  had  been  intercepted  by 
his  enchantress.  Then  it  was  that  he  made  his  famous 
ride  to  Philadelphia.  This  story  adds  many  miles  to  the 
length  of  his  ride,  as,  in  most  accounts,  he  was  at  his 
home  near  Dover  when  the  call  to  Philadelphia  came." 

Return  we  to  Mr.  Bayard  and  history  : 

"You  may  know  how  little  time  there  was  for  dainty 
preparation  —  barely  enough  for  tightening  of  saddle- 
girths  and  buckling  on  of  spurs — before  the  good  horse 
stood  ready  to  be  mounted,  and  our  hero  began  his  im 
mortal  ride  on  that  hot  and  dusty  July  day,  to  carry 
into  the  Congress  of  the  Colonies  the  vote  he  held  in 
trust  for  the  people  of  Delaware,  and  which  was  needed 
to  make  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence  the 
unanimous  act  of  thirteen  united  States." 

From  the  window-seat  of  the  old  house, 
which  was  the  bachelor  hero's  dearest  earthly 
home,  I  see,  bisecting  "  The  Green,"  what  is 
still  known  as  "  The  King's  Highway,"  along 
which  the  rider  dashed  through  Dover  when 
the  noonday  sun  was  at  the  hottest.  The 
hostelry,  "  King  George's  Arms,"  stood  at 
that  corner,  facing  the  open  square.  There, 


a:     z 
O     < 


The  Ridgely  House  311 

at  Rodney's  imperative  shout,  a  fresh  horse 
was  brought  to  him,  and  he  was  again  in  the 
saddle  and  away  at  breakneck  speed,  riding, 
not  for  his  own,  but  for  a  Nation's  life. 

"  He  is  up  !  he  is  off  !  and  the  black  horse  flies 
On  the  Northward  road  ere  the  '  God  speed '  dies  ; 
It  is  gallop  and  spin,  as  the  leagues  they  clear 
And  the  clustering  milestones  move  arear."  ' 

On  the  morning  of  July  4th,  Thomas  Mc- 
Kean,  until  then  ignorant  of  the  success  of  his 
messenger,  met  Caesar  Rodney  "  at  the  State 
House  door,  in  his  boots  and  spurs,  as  the 
members  were  assembling." 

The  briefest  of  salutations  was  exchanged, 
and  not  a  word  as  to  the  momentous  business 
before  them.  Not  a  moment  could  be  lost, 
for  they  were  the  last  to  enter  the  hall,  and  the 
proceedings  had  begun.  They  were  hardly  in 
their  seats  when  "  the  Great  Question  was  put." 

At  the  call  for  the  vote  of  Delaware,  all 
eyes  were  turned  to  the  bronzed  face  and  dis 
ordered  attire  of  him  who  was  to  break  the 
"tie."  He  arose  composedly,  and  spoke  with 
calm  deliberateness  : 

"  As  I  believe  the  voice  of  my  constituents 
and  of  all  sensible  and  honest  men  is  in  favor 

'''Caesar  Rodney's  Ride." 


312       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  independence,  my  own  judgment  concurs 
with  them.  I  vote  for  Independence." 

Neither  romancist  nor  dramatist  need  add 
to,  or  take  away  from,  the  thrilling  incident  of 
Caesar  Rodney's  Ride.  When  one  considers 
the  tremendous  issue  involved,  the  character 
of  the  man  who  risked  health,  already  infirm, 
to  fulfil  his  pledge  to  colleague  and  to  con 
science,  and  the  quiet  dignity  with  which  he 
redeemed  it — the  scene  is  sublime. 

The  Rodney  coat  of  arms  bears  the  motto, 
Non  generant  Aquilcz  Columbas  ("  Eagles  do 
not  bep;et  doves"). 

o  / 

This  one  of  the  brood,  albeit  knowing  that 
he  was  fatally  hurt,  bore  himself  gallantly  to 
the  last.  He  was  General  Rodney  in  1777, 
when  ordered  by  Washington  to  "  gather  his 
Delaware  troops  in  close  proximity  to  the 
enemy  ;  to  hang  upon  his  flank,  observe  and 
report  his  movements,  harass  his  outposts,  and 
protect  the  surrounding  country  from  maraud 
ing  parties."  The  honour  was  no  sinecure.  His 
letters  to  Washington  are  models  of  concise 
ness  and  comprehensiveness,  yet  are  worded 
with  a  sort  of  respectful  familiarity  betokening 
an  entente  cordiale  between  the  two  men,  unu 
sual  in  the  circumstances.  Rodney's  "  usual 


The  Ridgely  House  313 

flow  of  spirits  "  had  not  deserted  him.  <4  GOD 
only  knows,"  was  still  his  staff  and  strength. 

"  Be  assured  all  I  can  do  shall  be  done,"  he 
assures  the  Commander-in-Chief.  "  But  he 
that  can  deal  with  militia  may  almost  venture 
to  deal  with  the  devil.  As  soon  as  I  can  set 
forward  I  shall  advise  you.  GOD  send  you  a 
complete  victory ! " 

All  the  while  he  suffered  unspeakably  in 
body.  Aware  that  the  loves  of  home  and  fam 
ily  could  never  be  his,  he  poured  out  his  ardent 
soul  and  great  heart  in  a  passion  of  patriotism. 
His  last  important  public  declaration  of  this 
absorbing  devotion  is  embodied  in  a  resolution 
passed  by  the  Delaware  General  Assembly  in 
1782,  when  the  war  was  supposed  to  be  virtu 
ally  at  an  end  : 

"Resolved:  That  the  whole  power  of  this 
State  shall  be  exerted  for  enabling  Congress 
to  carry  on  the  war  until  a  peace  consistent 
with  our  Federal  union  and  national  faith  can 
be  obtained." 

He  lived  to  see  that  peace  established.  Just 
one  year  after  the  terms  of  the  definite  treaty 
were  signed  (in  1 783)  the  Legislature  of  Dela 
ware  "met  at  the  house  of  Hon.  Caesar  Rod 
ney,  Esq.,  the  Speaker,  he  being  too  much 


3H       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

indisposed  to  attend  the  usual  place  of 
meeting." 

He  died  the  next  month  (June,  1784). 

For  almost  a  third  of  his  earthly  existence 
he  had  been  the  tortured  victim  of  the  malady 
which  killed  him  at  last,  an  affliction  peculiarly 
humiliating  to  a  proud,  sensitive  man  who, 
freed  from  it,  would  have  been  the  possessor 
of  all  that  makes  life  best  worth  living. 


XI 

OTHER  "OLD  DOVER"  STORIES  AND  HOUSES 

MY  dear  young  hostess  of  the  Ridgely 
homestead  is  still  the  raconteuse.  She 
has  a  story  in  a  lighter  vein  to  beguile  me 
from  the  reverie  into  which  I  have  fallen,  with 
Dover  Green  and  the  King's  Highway  before 
my  eyes,  and,  in  the  ears  of  my  imagination, 
the  echoes  of  those  flying  hoofs  that, —  to 
quote  for  the  last  time  from  the  Delaware  ora 
tor  :  "  will  reverberate  in  American  ears  like 
the  footfalls  of  Fate— 

'  Far  on  in  summers  that  we  shall  not  see.'  ': 

In  1840,  Lucretia  Mott  was  advertised  as 
intending  to  lecture  in  Dover,  and  the  conserv 
ative,  slave-holding  element  of  the  town  pro 
tested  indignantly  against  the  measure.  When 
she  and  her  companions  appeared  on  the  day 
set  for  the  lecture,  they  were  given  to  under 

315 


316       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

stand  that  the  attempt  would  be  dangerous.. 
To  the  menace  was  added  a  demand  that  the 
party  leave  Dover  at  once.  Judge  Henry 
Moore  Ridgely  interfered  boldly  between  the 
obnoxious  visitors  and  the  rising  mob. 

"Not"- — as  he  explained  privately  to  his 
family — "  that  I  am  fond  of  abolitionists.  But 
I  will  not  have  a  woman  insulted  in  this  town." 

He  welcomed  Mrs.  Mott  and  her  aides  to  his 
own  house,  and  invited  a  dozen  or  more  prom 
inent  members  of  the  Legislature,  then  in 
session,  to  meet  them  at  supper  that  evening. 
But  two  of  those  bidden  to  the  feast  came. 
Both  of  these  men  were  lovers  of  Miss 
Ridgely,  the  host's  daughter,  and  neither  dared 
decline,  lest  his  rival  should  score  a  point 
against  him  by  accepting. 

I  give  the  scene  at  the  Court  House  in 
another's  words  : 

"When  supper  was  over  Lucretia  Mott  announced  her 
intention  of  speaking  that  evening  in  the  Court  House 
at  Dover  ;  Judge  Ridgely,  feeling,  no  doubt,  that  his 
presence  might  be  a  protection  to  the  Quakers,  offered 
to  accompany  them  thither  ;  Miss  Ridgely,  whose  heart 
was  quite  won  by  Mrs.  Mott's  gentle  manner  and  de 
lightful  fluency  in  conversation,  begged  that  she  might 
go  also,  to  hear  the  address,  and  Mr.  DuPont,  one  of  the1 
Members  aforesaid  offered  to  be  her  escort..  Judge 


ELIZABETH  RIDQELY,  DAUGHTER  OF  JUDGE  HENRY  MOORE  RIDGELY. 
(AGED  19.) 


317 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      319 

Ridgely  took  Lucretia  Mott  under  his  protection,  gave 
her  his  arm,  and  led  the  way,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the 
Quakers  and  his  daughter  with  Mr.  DuPont  The  little 
party  reached  the  Court  House  in  safety,  notwithstand 
ing  that  they  were  subjected  to  threatening  murmurs 
and  surly  looks  from  the  bystanders,  who  wished  to 
prevent  Mrs.  Mott  from  speaking  in  Dover  ;  but  Judge 
Ridgely  conducted  her  safely  to  the  platform,  looking 
around  upon  the  crowd  and  saying,  '  I  dare  you  to  touch 
her!  ' 

"  Mrs.  Mott  then  made  an  earnest  and  beautiful  ad 
dress,  but  without  any  allusion  to  the  exciting  subject  of 
Slavery,  and  all  present  were  delighted  with  it." 

There  was  more  to  follow  before  the  event 
ful  visit  was  over.  After  the  lecture  the  com 
pany  returned  to  Judge  Ridgely's  house  and 
sat  about  the  drawing-room  fire,  in  full  view 
of  a  gathering  crowd  without.  For  Judge 
Ridgely  had  sternly  refused  to  have  the  shut 
ters  closed,  and  the  windows,  as  I  have  said, 
opening  directly  upon  the  sidewalk,  are  so  low 
in  the  wall  as  to  allow  passers-by  to  look  into 
the  ground-floor  rooms.  In  emulation  of  her 
entertainers'  equanimity,  the  stout-hearted 
Quakeress  feigned  not  to  observe  the  dark 
faces  pressed  against  the  panes,  or  to  hear  the 
hoarse  murmurs  from  without,  like  the  wash 
of  the  surge  upon  the  beach  before  a  rising 


320        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

storm.  She  had  never  been  more  brilliant  in 
talk,  or  apparently  more  happily  at  her  ease, 
almost  charming  her  auditors  into  forgetful- 
ness  of  what  might  be  impending  should  the 
tempers  of  the  rioters  finally  break  through 
the  restraint  of  one  man's  influence  and  defy 
his  authority. 

The  scene  was  full  of  dramatic  elements, 
had  any  of  the  spectators  been  sufficiently 
cool-headed  to  note  and  appreciate  these.  By 
and-by,  Lucretia  Mott  arose  to  her  feet  in 
telling  a  story  that  demanded  animated  action. 
A  young  daughter  of  the  house,  fancying  that 
she  was  weary  of  sitting  and  wished  to  walk 
about  the  room,  drew  back  Mrs.  Mott's  chair 
to  give  her  more  space.  Simultaneously  with 
this  action,  the  lady  sat  down  again,  and  had 
a  hard  fall.  The  rival  suitors  were  nearer  to 
her  than  Judge  Ridgely.  One  stood  stock- 
still  and  laughed.  The  other  sprang  to  the  as 
sistance  of  the  abolitionist,  raised  her,  assisted 
her  carefully  to  a  seat,  and  begged  to  know  if 
he  could  help  her  in  any  other  way. 

Miss  Ridgely  spoke  her  mind  to  Mr.  Du- 
Pont  the  next  day,  when  Lucretia  Mott  and 
her  friends  were  safely  out  of  Dover. 

"You   proved   yourself  a  true    man  and  a 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      321 

thoroughbred,"    said    her    father's    daughter. 
"  The  other  is  neither  !  " 

There  are  other  stories — dozens  of  them— 
lingering  about  the  house,  and  stealing  in  with 
the  odour  of  the  honeysuckles  from  the  garden 
at  the  back.  The  garden  where  the  box-bushes 
have  grown,  in  a  century  and  more,  into  great 
trees  and  thick  hedges,  on  the  top  of  which  one 
may  walk  fearlessly,  as  upon  a  wall.  Where 
Judge  Nicholas  Ridgely  and  his  family,  includ 
ing  Caesar  Rodney,  liked  to  take  tea  all  summer 
long. 

"  I  seem  to  know  them  so  well  and  to 
have  seen  them  there  so  often  that  I  could 
paint  the  group  if  I  were  an  artist,"  says  Mrs. 
Ridgely. 

And  I,  awakened  by  memories  of  it  all  at 
early  morning,  before  the  birds  have  stopped 
singing  to  breakfast  in  the  cherry  trees,  make 
a  picture  for  myself  and  hang  it  upon  a  nail 
fastened  in  a  sure  place  in  my  mental  gallery. 

The  next  day  is  filled  with  sight-seeing  and 
dreaming.  The  pretty  town  is  rich  in  historic 
shrines.  We  drive  by  the  picturesque  little 
church,  so  clothed  upon  with  ivy  we  can  hardly 
see  the  venerable  walls  of  the  burial-ground 

o 

in  which  the  remains  of  Caesar  Rodney,  brought 


322         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

from  "  Poplar  Grove  "  in  1887  by  the  "  Rodney 
Club  "  of  young  Delawareans,  were  laid  with 
appropriate  ceremonies.  In  1889,  the  monu 
ment  overtopping  the  churchyard  wall  was 
erected  by  the  same  organisation,  Henry 
Ridgely,  Jr.,  the  descendant  of  the  hero's 
guardian,  being  the  President. 

"  Woodburn  "  opens  hospitable  doors  to  us, 
when  our  eyes  ache  somewhat  with  much 
gazing,  and  the  dust  stirred  by  our  wheels  re 
awakens  sympathy  with  the  mad  rider  of  1776. 
There  is  an  ocean-cave,  coral-grove  effect  of 
whiteness  and  shade,  in  the  spacious  hall  where 
Mrs.  Holmes  and  her  son  welcome  us.  The 
weight  of  unperformed  duties  slips  from  our 
souls  for  an  enchanted  hour,  while  we  look 
and  listen.  The  woodwork  of  the  lofty  rooms 
was  paid  for  by  the  Colonial  proprietor  by  the 
transfer  of  a  valuable  farm  to  the  builder. 
The  toothed  cornices  were  carved  by  hand, 
as  were  the  deep  panels  of  the  doors,  the  win 
dow-casings  and  -seats  and  the  wainscots.  All 
are  as  sound  and  whole  as  if  they  had  left  the 
workman's  hand  ten,  and  not  one  hundred  and 
forty,  years  ago. 

The  hostess  speaks  when  we  are  midway  in 
the  easy  ascent  of  the  noble  staircase  : — 


REAR  VIEW  OF  RIDQELY  HOUSE  FROM  THE  GARDEN. 
(BUILT  1728.) 


323 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories       325 

"Just  here,  Lorenzo  Dow  passed  the  'old 
gentleman,  the  other  visitor.' ' 

Then  we  have  one  of  the  authentic  ghost- 
stories,  such  as  my  soul  loveth  : 

"  You  will  find  it  in  Lorenzo  Dow's  pub 
lished  works.  He  was  a  guest  in  this  house 
for  several  days.  The  morning  after  his  ar 
rival,  on  his  way  down  to  prayers  and  break 
fast,  he  overtook  on  the  stairs  an  old  gentleman 
in  Continental  costume, — long  coat  and  waist 
coat,  knee-breeches  and  long  stockings.  His 
white  hair  was  tied  at  the  back  of  his  neck 
in  a  queue,  and  he  moved  slowly,  as  if  in 
firm,  holding  to  the  rail  as  he  walked.  Mr. 
Dow  bowed  respectfully  in  passing  him,  but 
neither  spoke.  When  the  lady  of  the  house 
requested  Mr.  Dow  to  begin  family  worship, 
he  asked  :  '  Are  we  not  to  wait  for  the  other 
visitor  ? ' 

"  *  Whom  do  you  mean  ?  There  is  no  other 
visitor  in  the  house.' 

" '  The  old  gentleman  I  passed  upon  the 
stairs  just  now,'  he  persisted. 

"  The  hostess  coloured  painfully,  and  seemed 
very  uneasy,  and  the  matter  was  dropped. 
Mr.  Dow  learned,  afterward,  chat  others  be 
sides  himself  had  seen  the  apparition,  and  that, 


326        More  Colonial  Homesteads 

for  some  reason,  the  subject  was  a  sore  one  to 
the  family." 

The  ghostly  visitant  showed  himself  again, 
and  in  broad  daylight,  to  a  guest  of  a  later 
generation  than  Lorenzo  Dow's.  A  college- 
boy,  coming  to  spend  some  time  at  Wood- 
burn,  was  shown  to  his  room,  a  pleasant 
chamber  on  the  second  floor,  opening  upon  the 
wide,  airy  hall  we  traverse  to  the  scene  of  his 
adventure.  A  long  glass  is  at  one  end,  and  as 
we  stand  before  it,  we  see,  reflected  in  it,  the 
window,  and  a  chair  set  within  its  embrasure. 
The  youth  was  brushing  his  hair  and  arrang 
ing  his  cravat  when  he  beheld  in  the  mirror 
the  figure  of  an  old  man,  dressed  as  I  have 
described,  sitting  quietly  in  the  chair  and  look 
ing  straight  at  him. 

"  Hope  I  don't  intrude  !  "  said  the  collegian 
jauntily,  turning  toward  the  stranger,  who,  on 
the  instant,  vanished.  A  comical  touch  is  sup 
plied  to  the  tale  by  another  Dover  resident, 
who  adds  gravely  that  the  old  gentleman  went 
to  pieces  jerkily  before  the  poor  boy's  horrified 
eyes,  his  arms  going  in  one  direction,  and  his 
legs  in  another. 

Natheless — as  the  books  used  to  say  when 
the  old  gentleman  was  solid  flesh  and  bone — the 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      327 

collegian  declared  that  he  was  sane  and  sober 
when  he  saw  the  apparition,  and  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  stay  in  the  chamber  or  house 
after  the  unpleasant  dismemberment  of  his 
roommate. 

A  modern  story-wright,  George  Alfred 
Townsend,  says  of  "  Woodburn  "  : 

"  Built  by  a  tyrannical,  eccentric  man,  it  passed 
through  several  families  until  a  Quaker  named  Cowgill, 
who  afterwards  became  a  Methodist,  made  it  his  prop 
erty.  .  .  . 

"  The  first  owner,  it  was  said,  had  amused  himself  in 
the  great  hall-room  by  making  his  own  children  stand 
on  their  toes,  switching  their  feet  with  a  whip  when  they 
dropped  upon  their  soles  from  pain  or  fatigue.  His  own 
son  finally  shot  at  him  through  the  great  northern  door 
with  a  rifle  or  pistol,  leaving  the  mark  to  this  day,  to  be 
seen  by  a  small  panel  set  in  the  original  pine.  .  .  .  The 
room  over  the  great  door  has  always  been  considered 
the  haunt  of  peculiar  people  who  molested  nobody  liv 
ing,  but  appeared  there  in  some  quiet  avocation,  and 
vanished  when  pressed  upon." 

The  present  occupants  are  the  descendants 
of  a  Dover  lawyer  who  bought  the  place  about 
fifty  years  ago. 

We  get  no  ghostly  anecdote  during  our  call 
upon  the  Misses  Bradford,  who  occupy  a  be 
witching  homestead  built  by  one  of  the  Loock- 


328       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

erman  family  in  1746.  We  are  introduced, 
instead,  to  a  wealth  of  old  china,  much  of  it 
older  than  the  house,  each  piece  of  it  an  heir 
loom  beyond  price.  It  is  arranged  in  orderly 
rows  within  corner  cupboards  reaching  to  the 
ceiling,  showing  so  many  unbroken  sets  that 
one  conceives  a  profound,  almost  an  awed, 
respect  for  housewifery  that  must  also  have 
been  a  transmitted  heritage  from  age  to  a^e. 

o  o  o 

The  curious  tiled  fireplaces  have  shared  in  the 
care  which  warded  off  craze  and  crack  and  nick 
from  other  fragile  treasures  ;  there  are  curtained 
bedsteads,  solid  mahogany,  with  twisted  posts 
and  carved  headboards,  and  chairs  yet  older, 
and  ancient  tables  of  divers  patterns,  and  a 
wonderful  escritoire  with  a  secret  drawer  we 
cannot  refind  after  the  location  and  way  of 
working  have  been  explained  and  illustrated 
to  us  twice  over. 

The  Bradford  garden  is  a  "  good  second" 
to  the  house  and  its  plenishing.  An  enormous 
box-tree  is  believed  to  be  a  century  old,  and 
looks  half  as  old  again.  It  has  a  round  poll, 
green  and  firm,  and  is  perhaps  fifty  feet  in  cir 
cumference.  Iris  beds — purple,  white,  white- 
and-purple,  and  yellow — line  the  walks  ;  peo 
nies,  pinks,  cinnamon-roses,  and  many  other 


"WOODBURN,"    DOVER,    DEL. 


329 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      331 

dear  flowers  planted  and  tended  by  our  great- 
grandmothers,  grow  where  they  were  set  when 
the  portrait  of  King  George  III.  was  burned 
upon  Dover  Green,  and, 

"  From  that  soft  midland  where  the  breezes  bear 
The  North  and  South  on  the  genial  air  ; 
Through  the  County  of  Kent,  on  affairs  of  State, 
Rode  Caesar  Rodney  the  Delegate." 

Thoughts  and  talk  recur  to  him  as  we  pass 
the  Vining  house  on  our  homeward  way. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
that  Judge  Nicholas  Ridgely's  third  wife  was 
Mrs.  Mary  Middleton  Vining.  She  was  the 
widow  of  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Salem,  and,  in 
accordance  with  a  pledge  made  to  him  on  his 
deathbed,  secured  her  large  fortune  to  their 
three  children  before  her  second  marriage. 
Her  brilliant  son,  Chief-Justice  John  Vining, 
was  the  father  of  the  "  Revolutionary  belle," 
Mary  Vining,  the  name-child  of  the  aunt  who 
was  Caesar  Rodney's  first  love. 

A  charming  sketch  of  the  younger  Mary 
Vining,  written  by  Mrs.  Henry  Geddes  Ban 
ning,  appeared  in  the  American  Historical  Re 
gister  for  July,  1895.  Every  child  in  Dover 
has  heard  her  name  and  some  particulars  of 


332       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

her  life.  Mrs.  Banning,  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Rodney,  Caesar  Rodney's  brother  and 
executor,  is  in  possession  of  several  relics  of 
the  American  beauty  whose  fame  was  carried 
back  to  France  and  England  by  officers  who 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle. 

"  Thomas  Jefferson,  when  minister  plenipotentiary  to 
France,  was  proud  to  assure  the  lovely  Queen  of  France 
that  the  extravagant  admiration  of  the  Delaware  belle 
by  the  French  officers,  which  had  reached  her  ears,  was 
no  exaggeration,  for  the  American  lady  was  worthy  of  it 
all.  Marie  Antoinette  replied  she  would  be  glad  to  see 
her  at  the  Tuileries.  .  .  .  She  was  mentioned  in 
flattering  terms,  also,  at  the  English  Court  of  George  III., 
and  likewise  at  the  Court  of  Germany." ' 

Besides  the  marriage  which  connected  her 
with  the  family  of  her  step-grandfather,  Judge 
Nicholas  Ridgely,  she  was  related  by  blood  to 
the  Ridgelys  and  Rodneys,  and  a  great  pet  in 
both  families.  But  one  of  the  many  letters, 
written  by  her  has  been  preserved  for  our 
reading.  The  loss  to  the  epistolary  literature 
of  that  period  is  inestimable,  for  her  pen  was  as 
facile  as  the  tongue  that  gained  her  the  re 
putation  of  being  the  finest  conversationalist 
of  her  generation.  She  spoke  French  with 

1  American  Historical  Register. 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      333 

grace  and  fluency ;  her  voice  was  rich  and 
flexible,  her  charm  of  manner  irresistible  and 
indescribable.  Her  brother,  John  Middleton 
Vining,  the  "  Pet  of  Delaware,"  shared  with  her 
the  magic  and  mysterious  gift  of  personal 
magnetism  that  gives  plausibility  to  the  folk- 
stories  of  fairy  conclaves  and  presentations 
about  the  cradles  of  certain  infants,  who  are, 
thenceforward,  blessed  or  banned. 

When  Caesar  Rodney  was  Governor  of 
Delaware,  (in  1778)  he  hired  a  house  in 
Wilmington  for  the  winter,  and  his  young 
kinswoman,  Mary  Vining,  was  the  presiding 
genius  of  every  entertainment  given  by  him 
when  women  were  present.  Lafayette  was  a 
close  friend  and  frequent  guest  of  the  bachelor 
host. 

"  It  was  in  the  cellar  of  this  house  that,  the 
Governor  consenting,  General  Lafayette  stored 
his  little  casks  of  gold  wherewith  to  pay  his 
little  army,  and  help  the  cause  of  freedom," 
Mrs.  Banning  says,  and  proceeds  to  narrate 
the  following  pleasing  incident : 

"My  grandfather,  C.  A.  Rodney,  was  a  boy  at  this 
time,  and  he  related  this  anecdote  to  my  mother :  *  I 
was  studying  my  Latin  by  the  parlour  fire  when  the  door 
opened,  and  Miss  Vining  appeared  in  full  dress.  She 


334       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

approached  the  mantel,  looking  approvingly  at  the  re 
flection  in  the  glass.  She  observed  my  look  of  fixed 
admiration,  for  she  turned  and  said,  extending  her  hand 
to  me — "  Come  here,  you  little  rogue,  and  you  shall  kiss 
my  hand."  I  refused,  drawing  back  with  boyish  bash- 
fulness,  when  she  replied,  "  You  might  be  glad  to  do  so  ! 
*  Princes  have  lipped  it '  "  (from  Cleopatra).  All  the 
time,  I  did  think  her  the  most  beautiful  creature  I  ever 
saw,  and  I  still  recall  her  as  a  beautiful  picture.  .  .  .  ' 

The  beauty  was  capricious — as  was  natural. 
She  was,  also,  spoiled  and  imperious,  with  all 
her  gracious  sweetness  of  disposition  and  man 
ner — as  was  inevitable.  The  Frenchmen 
lost  their  heads,  and  told  her  so  in  ecstatic 
ravings  which  expressed  all  they  felt.  More 
phlegmatic  British  victims  laid  hearts,  and  all 
they  had  of  fortunes,  at  her  feet,  and  meant 
more  than  they  could  say.  She  was  as  often 
in  Philadelphia  as  in  Wilmington  and  Dover, 
and  her  conquests  there  were  as  notable.  When 
Philadelphia  was  evacuated  by  the  British  in 
1778,  a  British  officer  risked  character  and 
life  by  making  a  flying  trip  to  Wilmington, 
without  leave  of  absence  and  under  cover  of 
night,  to  entreat  Miss  Vining  to  reconsider 
her  refusal  of  him.  Luckily,  the  transgression 
was  not  discovered  by  the  authorities,  a  piece 
of  good  fortune  for  which  he  was  probably 


MARY  VININQ. 
(FROM  OLD  MINIATURE  ) 


335 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      337 

less  grateful  than  he  should  have  been,  being 
driven  from  desperation  to  despair  by  the 
belle's  tranquilly  kind  repetition  of  her  former 
sentence. 

Louis  Philippe,  then  Due  d'  Orleans,  was 
among  her  visitors  and  admirers.  Her  friend 
ship  with  Lafayette,  begun  while  he  was 
Governor  Rodney's  guest,  lasted  while  she 
lived.  They  corresponded  regularly  in  French 
after  his  return  to  France. 

"  Do  you  never  mean  to  marry?"  asked  a 
wondering  acquaintance  after  reckoning  up 
the  offers  Miss  Vining  had  had.  "  Will  you 
never  accept  anybody  ?  " 

Mary  Vining  was  frank  with  herself,  if  with 
no  one  else.  Her  reply  was  prompt  and  seri 
ous,  almost  regretful : 

"Admiration  has  spoiled  me.  I  could  not  con 
tent  myself  with  the  admiration  of  one  man." 

One  of  the  regal  fancies  her  great  wealth 
enabled  her  to  indulge  was  that  of  never  going 
abroad  on  foot.  Another  was  to  wear  a  veil 
whenever  she  appeared  in  the  street  or  at 
church.  Her  costumes,  even  during  the  Revo 
lutionary  blockade,  were  the  marvel  and  envy 
of  women  with  equal  ambitions  and  wealth, 
but  who  lacked  her  taste  and  genius. 


338       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

She  was  still  in  the  prime  of  beautiful  wo 
manhood  when  Peace  sent  French  gallants  and 
English  suitors  back  to  their  homes,  and  dis 
banded  her  military  admirers.  Her  Delaware 
drawing-room  remained  a  salon,  herself  a  queen. 
She  was  nearing  her  fortieth  birthday,  still 
handsome,  still  gracious  in  her  imperiousness, 
when  the  Ridgely  family  was  agitated  by  a 
rumour,  at  first  scouted  as  incredible,  then  re 
ceived  shudderingly. 

"  Is  it  true,"  writes  the  widow  of  a  Revolu 
tionary  hero  to  Mrs.  Dr.  Charles  Ridgely, 
"  that  Miss  Vining  is  engaged  to  General 
Wayne  ?  Can  one  so  refined  marry  this 
coarse  soldier  ?  .  .  .  True "— relentingly 
— "  he  is  brave,  wonderfully  brave  !  and  none 
but  the  brave  deserve  the  fair." 

General  Anthony  Wayne  was  now  a  wid 
ower.  Mary  Vining  was  a  child  of  eleven 
when  he,  a  man  of  twenty-two,  married  and 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Chester  County,  Penn 
sylvania.  She  was  twenty-three  when  the 
storming  of  Stony  Point,  one  mid-July  night 
in  1779,  fastened  upon  him  the  name  of  "  Mad 
Anthony."  In  hearing  the  daring  exploit  dis 
cussed  by  his  brother  officers  in  her  drawing- 
room,  she  must  have  laughed  over  the  one 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories       339 

bon-mot  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  trans 
mitted  to  us,  and  which  Mrs.  Banning  revives 
in  our  recollection  : 

"  Can  you  take  Stony  Point  ? "  inquired 
Washington  of  the  fiery  brigadier-general. 

"  Storm  Stony  Point,  your  Excellency  !  I  '11 
storm  hell  if  you  7/  plan  the  attack  !  " 

"  Had  n't  we  better  try  Stony  Point  first, 
General  Wayne  ? "  was  the  dryly  facetious 
retort. 

Mary  Vining  would  have  enjoyed  that. 
There  was  a  decided  admixture  of  shrewd 
common  sense  in  her  composition,  despite  her 
sybaritic  tastes  and  habits. 

The  one  letter  from  her  hand  alluded  to 
just  now,  was  written  to  a  cousin  just  after 
Chief-Justice  Vining's  death,  when  the  daugh 
ter  was  fourteen  years  old.  The  grateful 
tenderness  of  the  childish  heart  cannot  be  mis 
interpreted,  but  she  takes  thought  of  the  keys 
of  desk  and  trunks  sent  by  him  in  "  Uncle 
Wynkoop's  letter  to  Uncle  Ridgely,"  also, 
that  "  among  them  is  the  key  of  Mrs.  Nixon's 
trunk,  and  in  that  you  will  find  a  canister  of 
very  good  green  tea,  which  you  will  please  to 
use  when  Mr.  Chew  is  down." 

Tea  was    already  an  expensive    luxury,  al- 


34°       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

though  the  letter  antedates  the  Boston  Tea 
Party  and  the  burning  of  the  Peggy  Stewart  at 
Annapolis  by  three  years.  Mr.  Chew  was  an 
honoured  guest,  for  whom  the  best  was  none 
too  good. 

"  Mad  Anthony "  was  made  General-in- 
Chief  of  the  United  States  Army  in  1792.  It 
is  supposed  that  he  paid  his  addresses  first  to 
Miss  Vining  in  1794.  He  had  been  in  a  dozen 
pitched  battles,  always  serving  with  valour  and 
distinction.  His  address,  in  suppressing  the 
mutiny  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  in  1781, 
and  his  clear  counsels  as  a  member  of  the 
Philadelphia  Legislature,  proved  that  he  had 
sense  as  well  as  valour.  By  a  dashing  bayo 
net  charge  at  Green  Spring,  Virginia,  he  had 
saved  the  liberty,  maybe  the  life,  of  the  well- 
beloved  Lafayette.  Miss  Vining  understood 
him  and  her  own  heart  so  much  better  than 
her  critics  could  know  either,  that  she  not 
only  promised  to  marry  the  "  coarse  soldier," 
but  loved  him  ardently  and  proudly. 

They  were  betrothed,  and  the  wedding-day 
was  set,  when  General  Wayne  set  out  late  in 
1795,  or  early  in  1796,  to  conclude  the  treaty 
of  Greenville  with  the  Western  Indians,  whom 
he  had  defeated  at  Maumee  Rapids  the  year 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      341 

before.  It  was  a  long  journey,  and  the  nego 
tiations  were  tedious.  In  the  civilised  Dela 
ware  he  had  left  preparations  went  on  briskly 
for  the  marriage,  which  was  to  take  place 
immediately  upon  his  return.  Miss  Vining 


RIDGELY  FAMILY  SILVER. 


bought  a  complete  service  of  silver,  and  re- 
furnished  her  already  handsome  home.  Be 
fore  leaving  her,  the  bridegroom-expectant  had 
given  her  a  set  of  India  china,  which  is  still  in 
the  Ridgely  family  at  Dover.  It  was  never 
used  in  the  long  lifetime  of  Mary  Vining,  but 
treasured  among  her  most  sacred  belongings. 


342       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  warrior  betrothed  never  returned  from 
his  long  journey  and  tedious  errand.  Mary 
Vining's  New  Year's  gift  was  the  news  that 
he  had  died,  December  15,  1796,  at  Presque 
Isle,  on  Lake  Erie,  on  his  way  home,  his  ne 
gotiations  satisfactorily  completed,  his  heart 
full  of  hopes  of  happiness  and  her. 

Mrs.  Charles  Ridgely  wrote  to  the  corre 
spondent  who  had  been  shocked  at  the  news 
of  the  projected  marriage  : 

u  Miss  Vining  has  put  on  mourning  and  re 
tired  from  the  world,  in  consequence  of  Gen 
eral  Wayne's  death." 

Mrs.  Banning  adds  that  "  Miss  Vining 
seems  to  have  deeply  mourned  General  Wayne's 
death.  She  lived  for  twenty-five  years  longer, 
but  never  again  entered  society." 

This  romance  in  real  life,  all  unexpected  to 
us,  the  admirers  of  the  intrepid,  dashing  soldier, 
never  named  without  the  amused  repetition  of 
his  sobriquet — was  followed  by  other  disas 
ters.  The  "  Pet  of  Delaware"  lost  his  sister's 
fortune  with  his  own.  The  delicately  nurtured 
woman  was  compelled  to  sell  her  chariot, 
horses,  servants,  and  home.  A  suburban  cot 
tage  left  to  her  by  her  mother,  and  a  scanty 
pittance  for  daily  needs,  were  all  that  remained 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories      343 

when  the  death  of  the  brother  she  had  idolised 
revealed  the  wreck  he  had  made  of  their 
means. 

To  quote  again  from  Mrs    Banning: 

"  To  the  north  of  the  eastern  yard  in  which  two  huge 
willows  grew,  arose  a  blank  brick  wall  that  added  to  the 
convent-like  seclusion  of  the  shaded  cottage.  It  be 
came,  indeed,  her  living  tomb.  The  loss  of  all  that 
made  life  dear  broke  her  proud,  ambitious  heart.  She 
only  sought  concealment,  like  a  wounded  deer,  till  she 
could  die." 

This  was  in  1802.  In  1806,  the  thorough 
bred  had  rallied  her  forces  to  care  for  her 
brother's  orphaned  boys,  four  in  number.  To 
maintain  and  educate  them  the  deposed  queen 
took  boarders,  "  hesitating  at  no  sacrifice  to 
benefit  them,  and  devoting  her  time  and  talents 
to  their  education." 

From  the  eldest  of  these  beneficiaries,  then 
a  lad  of  fourteen,  we  have  a  rhyming  descrip 
tion  of  the  Lady  of  "  The  Willows,"  as  she 
had  called  her  cottage,  which  is  creditable  to 
his  head  and  heart  : 

"  Lady  Vining  comes  first,  with  her  soul-piercing  eye, 
Let  her  look  in  your  face,  in  your  heart  she  will  pry. 
In  her  features  sits  high  the  expression  of  truth, 
The  wisdom  of  age  and  the  fancy  of  youth. 


344       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

They  say  a  bright  circle  her  figure  once  graced, 

The  mirror  of  fashion  and  Phoenix  of  taste  ; 

But  Religion  soon  whispered  't  were  better  to  dwell 

In  the  willow's  retreat,  or  hermitage  cell. 

Now,  apart  from  the  world  and  its  turbulent  billows, 

Contentment  she  courts  in  the  shade  of  The  Willows."" 

Miss  Vining's  last  visit  to  Philadelphia,  the 
scene  of  her  proudest  conquests,  was  made  in 
1809,  upon  business  connected  with  the  pla 
cing  of  this  nephew  with  his  maternal  aunt, 
Mrs.  Ogden,  of  New  York.  She  went  to  the 
city  by  the  urgent  invitation  of  Caesar  Augustus 
Rodney,  "  the  Signer's "  nephew  and  heir, 
in  his  carnage,  and  under  his  escort,  remain 
ing  for  a  fortnight  in  his  house.  She  received 
the  many  faithful  friends  who  hastened  to  pay 
their  respects  to  her,  conversing  with  the  old 
winning  grace  and  ease,  but  entered  no  other 
house  than  Mr.  Rodney's. 

"  The  Willows "  became  more  and  more 
like  a  conventual  retreat  as  the  years  went  by. 
When  the  mistress  went  to  church, — which  was 
seldom  toward  the  end  of  her  life, — she  wore 
the  muffling  cap  with  wide  borders,  assumed 
after  General  Wayne's  death,  and  never  laid 
aside  or  changed  in  fashion  ;  over  this  a  pro 
jecting  bonnet  or  "  calash."  As  face  and  form 


Other  "Old  Dover"  Stories       345 

lost  delicacy  and  beauty,  she  saw  the  few 
visitors  admitted  to  "  The  Willows  "  in  a  room 
where  the  shutters  were  bowed,  and  the  cur 
tains  drawn. 

"  But  her  elegance  of  conversation,  attractive  man 
ners,  and  musical  voice  remained  to  the  last,  also  her 
fine  grey  eyes.  She  had  an  abundance  of  brown  hair 
that  never  turned  grey.  When  the  concealing  cap  was 
removed  after  her  death,  a  high  white  forehead,  and 
very  smooth,  was  revealed."  ] 

Of  her  four  adopted  children,  her  solace  in 
poverty  and  widowhood,  three  died  in  early 
life,  of  consumption  ;  the  eldest  outliving  her 
by  a  year. 

Mary  Vining  died  in  1821.  During  the  last 
years  of  her  life,  she  had  busied  herself  in 
writing  the  History  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  unfinished  MS.,  with  other  valuable 
papers,  was  destroyed  by  fire  several  years 
afterward. 

1  American  Historical  Register. 


XII 


BELMONT  HALL, 
NEAR  SMYRNA,  DELAWARE 

WITHOUT  disparagement  to  other 
broods  of  the  "  Blue  Hen's  Chickens," 
we  must  admit  that  those  sent  out  for  public 
service  from  Kent  County  were  of  a  game 
strain.  Not  fewer  than  sixteen  Governors  of 
Delaware  were  born  in  Kent,  or  were  residents 
of  the  Peninsular  County  when  elected  to 
office.  The  long  line  began  with  Caesar  Rod 
ney  who,  in  1778,  was  made  "  President  of  the 
Delaware  State,"  for  the  then  constitutional 
term  of  three  years. 

Another  President  was  John  Cook,  a  man  of 
wealth  and  influence  in  the  Province.  He 
came  into  office  in  1783.  In  1772,  he  had 
been  High  Sheriff  of  Kent  County.  He 
afterwards  became  a  member  of  the  first 

346 


Belmont  Hall  347 

Assembly  of  the  State  in  1776,  and  of  the 
committee  appointed  in  October  of  the  same 
year  to  devise  the  Great  Seal  of  Delaware. 
He  also  served  as  a  soldier  throughout  the 
Revolutionary  War,  after  which  he  was  one 
of  the  Judges  of  the  State.  His  landed  es 
tate  in  and  about  the  town  of  Smyrna  in 
cluded  the  extensive  tract  of  arable  and  wooded 
land  upon  which  now  stands  the  fine  old 
homestead  of  Belmont  Hall. 

The  original  grant  of  several  thousand  acres 
was  made  to  an  Englishman  from  whom  it 
took  the  name  of  "  Pearman's  Choice."  A 
house  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  Hall  late  in 
the  seventeenth  century.  The  next  proprie 
tor  after  Governor  Cook  was  Moore,  another 
Englishman,  who  erected  the  rear  and  lower 
wing  of  the  house,  as  we  now  see  it. 

The  body  of  the  Hall  was  added  by  Thomas 
Collins,  the  third  Governor,  or  President, 
given  by  Kent  County  to  Delaware.  He  was 
a  brother-in-law  of  John  Cook,  and,  like  him, 
the  owner  of  much  valuable  farming  land  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  State.  He  bought  the 
Belmont  Hall  tract  from  Moore  in  1771,  and 
enlarged  the  dwelling  to  its  present  propor 
tions  in  1773.  When  hostilities  between  the 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


Colonies  and  Great  Britain  broke  out,  he  gar 
risoned  the  Hall  and  stockaded  the  grounds 
outlying  it,  raising,  by  his  personal  efforts,  a 
brigade  of  militia  from  the  surrounding  country 
and  maintaining  it  at  his  own  expense  while 
the  war  lasted.  In  addition  to  his  duties  as  a 
military  officer  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Safety,  subsequently,  a  delegate  to 
the  Convention  that  drafted  the  Constitution 
of  the  State,  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of 

Common  Pleas. 

"  Belmont  Hall" 
—we  learn  from  a 
family  MS. — 

"descended  to  Dr. 
William  Collins  by  the 
will  of  his  father,  Gov 
ernor  Thomas  Collins, 
in  1789,  and  was  sold 
by  Dr.  Collins  to  John 
Cloke,  Esq.,  in  1827. 
He,  in  turn,  left  it  to 
his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Caroline  E.  Cloke  Pet 
erson,  then  the  wife  of 

J.  Howard  Peterson,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Peter 
son  died  in  1875.  Several  years  later  Mrs.  Peterson- 
married  again,  but  is  still  the  owner  of  Belmont  Hall,, 
and  the  plantation  connected  with  it." 


COOK-PETERSON  COAT  OF  ARMS. 


Belmont  Hall  349 

The  historic  mansion  is  one  of  the  oldest,  if 
not  the  most  ancient,  private  house  in  a  State 
where  Colonial  architecture  and  old  families 
abound.  Two  pictures  of  it  hang  in  the 
Relic  Room  of  Independence  Hall,  Philadel 
phia.  One  of  the  frames  contains,  in  addi 
tion  to  this  picture,  a  Continental  specie  note 
made  into  currency  by  the  signature  of  War- 
Governor  Thomas  Collins,  in  1776.  The 
bricks  of  the  Hall  are  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  England.  They  are  as  hard  as 
flint,  and  rich  brown  in  color.  Nails,  hinges, 
door-knobs,  and  bolts  were  imported  expressly 
for  this  dwelling  and  bear  the  imprint  of  the 
British  stamp. 

The  fa£ade  of  the  Hall  is  imposing,  and  the 
effect  of  the  whole  building,  set  in  the  centre 
of  a  park  and  gardens  twenty  acres  in  extent, 
and  quite  removed  from  the  highway,  is  noble 
and  dignified.  One  of  the  most  beautiful 
views  of  the  house  is  to  be  had  from  the 
garden  behind  it,  where  a  low  terrace  falls 
away  from  the  ornamental  grounds  to  the 
level  of  the  surrounding  fields.  The  stroller 
in  the  winding  alleys,  looking  up  suddenly  at 
the  ivied  gables  of  the  oldest  part  of  the  Hall, 
framed  in  the  broad  arch  of  the  arbour  at  the 


35°       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

top  of  the  terrace  steps,  fancies  himself,  for  one 
bewildered  instant,  in  the  Old  World,  in  the 
near  neighbourhood  of  grange  or  priory,  the 
age  of  which  is  measured  by  centuries,  and  not 
by  decades.  The  illusion  is  borne  out  by 
patriarchal  trees,  knobbed  and  hoary  as  to 
boles,  broad  of  crown,  and  with  a  compactness 
of  foliage  unattainable  by  groves  less  than 
fifty  years  old. 

The    balustrade   enclosing   the    flat    central 

o 

roof  of  the  Hall  was  put  up  by  Colonel  Collins 
to  protect  the  beat  of  the  sentry  kept  for 
months  upon  this  observatory.  The  officers. 
of  the  brigade  were  the  guests  of  the  family 
while  the  country  swarmed  with  predatory 
bands  of  British  and  Tories,  with  an  occasional 
sprinkling  of  Hessians.  These  last  were  be 
lieved  by  the  peninsular  population  to  be  ogres 
imported  especially  for  the  destruction  of 
women  and  children,  each  of  the  monsters 
being  equipped  by  nature  with  a  double  row  of 
carnivorous  teeth. 

While  there  was  no  regular  battle  fought  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Smyrna,  the 
region  was  reckoned  peculiarly  unsafe  for  the 
reason  I  have  given,  and  skirmishes  were  not  un 
common.  Colonel  Collins  and  his  home  guard 


Belmont  Hall  353 

were  a  committee  of  safety  in  themselves ; 
the  Hall,  with  its  solid  wall  and  surrounding 
defences,  was  looked  upon  by  the  fearsome 
families  left  unprotected  while  husbands,  sons, 
and  fathers  were  in  active  service  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  or  Virginia,  as 
a  strong  tower,  into  which  they  might  run  and 
be  safe  in  case  of  peril  to  their  persons  or  lives. 
The  conformation  of  the  peninsula,  a  signal 
advantage  when  commerce,  and  not  war,  was 
the  business  of  the  inhabitants,  trebled  the 
present  dangers.  "  The  extensive  water-front 
was  a  constant  invitation  to  attacks,  and  em 
boldened  British  emissaries  and  sympathisers. 
British  vessels  patrolled  Delaware  Bay,  hold 
ing  frequent  communication  with  the  shore, 
landing  at  night,  and  causing  terror  to  the 
inhabitants." 

How  imminent  were  the  perils  of  the  situa 
tion,  and  how  needful  the  precautions  taken 
by  Colonel  Collins,  were  illustrated  by  an  in 
cident  which,  thenceforward,  invested  the  look 
out  upon  the  housetop  with  tragic  interest.  A 
stray  marauder — Tory  spy,  British  scout,  or  a 
freebooter  from  the  coast  bent  upon  mischief 
of  whatever  kind — ventured  near  enough  to 
the  fortified  homestead  one  night  to  pick  off 


354       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

the  sentinel  by  a  well-aimed  rifle-ball.  The 
wounded  man,  alone  on  his  beat,  and  unable 
to  summon  aid,  contrived  to  drag  himself  down 
the  narrow  staircase  to  a  room  below,  occupied 
by  some  of  his  comrades,  sleeping  quietly,  un 
conscious  of  what  was  passing  over  their  heads. 
He  died  there,  within  the  hour,  before  a  sur 
geon  could  reach  him,  lying  in  a  spreading 
pool  of  his  own  blood.  The  awful  stain  is 
upon  the  boards  still,  a  memorial  to  this  one 
of  the  host,  which  no  man  can  number,  of 
unknown  private  soldiers  who  poured  out. 
their  lives  like  water  to  secure  to  the  land 
they  loved 

"  A  Church  without  a  Bishop, 
And  a  State  without  a  King." 

Following  the  trail,  faint  but  visible,  left  by 
the  unknown's  life-blood  upon  the  stairs,  we 
mount  to  the  roof,  and  view  the  goodly  pano 
rama  of  teeming  fields  and  vineyards,  peaceful 
hills,  beautiful  homes,  and  shining  river,  and 
hope  that  they  know  what  they  conveyed  to 
us  under  so  many,  and  such  precious,  seals. 

In  1777,  the  State  Council  of  Delaware  met 
in  Belmont  Hall  by  special  invitation  of  the 
owner,  probably  because  it  was  a  safer  place. 


H"  i 


M&:.:~ 
^S#i 


**** 


VISTA  FROM  PORCH  OF  BELMONT  HALL 


355 


Belmont  Hall  357 

than  that  in  which  the  Council  usually  sat. 
Colonel  Collins  was  himself  recalled  from  the 
army  under  Washington  by  a  special  letter 
from  the  Speaker,  or  President  of  the  Coun 
cil,  "  requiring  his  attendance,  if  consistent 
with  the  service  he  owed  to  his  chief." 

No  part  of  the  State  accessible  by  water  was 
secure  from  alarms  of  invasion.  In  August, 
Thomas  McKean,  then  executing  the  duties  of 
the  President  of  Delaware,  complained  that  he 
was  "hunted  like  a  fox."  Five  times  in  four 
months  he  removed  his  wife  and  children  from 
one  refuge  to  another,  finally  hiding  them  in 
a  secluded  log  cabin  in  Pennsylvania,  a  hun 
dred  miles  from  Dover.  This  asylum  was  soon 
deserted  for  fear  of  Indians  and  Tories. 

George  Read  was  probably  President  of  the 
Council  when  it  was  hospitably  entertained  in 
the  garrisoned  Hall.  Richard  Bassett,  a  fut 
ure  Governor  of  Delaware  and  Chief-Justice 
of  the  State,  was  also  summoned  from  the 
army  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Council. 

In  the  room  where  the  unfortunate  sentinel 
died  there  hung,  for  many  years,  a  framed  au 
tograph  letter  from  General  Washington  to 
Colonel  Collins,  ordering  him  to  report  with 
his  brigade  at  Morristown,  for  immediate  serv- 


358       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ice.  This  valuable  relic  was  lent  to  a  relat 
ive,  and  while  in  his  keeping  was  accidentally 
destroyed  by  fire. 

Mrs.  Peterson-Speakman,  the  great-grand 
daughter  of  Governor  John  Cook,  is  in  pos 
session  of  another  autograph  despatch  from  the 
same  august  hand,  bearing  date  of  the  same 
year.  The  fate  of  the  infant  government  was 
wavering  in  the  balance  that  winter,  and,  judg 
ing  from  the  tone  of  the  epistle,  the  temper  of 
the  Commander-in-Chief  was  "on  the  move." 

A  second  perusal  engenders  the  shrewd  sus 
picion  that  this  was  an  open  letter,  meant  for 
the  men,  and  not  for  their  colonel.  Recalling 
the  personal  relations  of  the  two  men,  we  are 
furthermore  persuaded  that  Colonel  Collins 
comprehended  the  meaning  of  each  biting  line, 
if  he  were  not  in  the  secret  of  the  composition. 
Caesar  Rodney  did  not  scruple  to  say  to  his 
Excellency,  when  urged  to  bring  his  men  to 
the  front,  "  He  that  can  deal  with  militia  may 
almost  venture  to  deal  with  the  devil."  Colo 
nel  Collins  had  his  militia  and  his  experience. 
He  had,  also,  the  ear  of  the  General-in-Chief. 

«  "  Headquarters,  January  2ist,  1777. 

Ol  iv   I 

"  To  my  great  surprise  I  was  applied  to  this  morning  to 
discharge  your  Battalion.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  it  came 


Belmont  Hall  359 

In  on  Sunday  last,  and  it  is  not  possible  that  a  single 
man  among  them  can  wish  to  return  before  they  have 
earned  a  single  shilling.  Your  people  cannot  wish  to 
burden  the  public,  and  they  will  do  so,  by  asking  pay 
without  deserving  any.  What  service  have  they  been 
of  ?  None — unless  marching  from  home,  when  they  had 
nothing  to  do,  and  staying  four  weeks  on  the  way  can  be 
called  service.  If  they  would  consider  how  ridiculous 
they  will  appear  when  they  return  without  staying  a  week 
with  me,  they  would  continue  here.  This  is  probably 
the  only  time  they  will  be  needed  to  maintain  our  ground 
till  the  new  army  is  raised.  For  this  purpose  I  hope 
they  left  home  and  surely  they  cannot  think  of  deserting 
me  at  so  important  a  time.  At  any  rate,  their  time  of 
•service  cannot  commence  till  they  were  equipped  and 
ready  to  take  the  field.  Dating  it  from  thence  they 
ought  to  stay  six  weeks  after  they  marched  from  Phila 
delphia.  Please  mention  these  things  to  your  Battalion. 
If  they  will  not  stay,  tell  them  I  cannot  in  justice  to  the 
States  give  them  a  discharge,  and  moreover,  that  I  will 
not  suffer  them  to  draw  pay  for  the  time  they  have  stayed. 
This  measure  being  extremely  disagreeable  to  me,  I  en 
treat  you  to  use  your  utmost  influence  to  prevail  on  your 
men  to  stay.  They  may  render  special  service  to  their 
country  in  a  short  time,  and  justly  claim  the  honour  of 
saving  it.  On  the  contrary,  should  they  go  home,  they 
will  not  only  lose  their  pay,  but  remain  the  scoff  of  all 
their  worthy  neighbours. 
"  I  am,  Sir 

"  Your  most  obediently  humble  servant 

"GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 


360       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  original  of  the  testy  epistle  was  un 
earthed  from  a  mass  of  other  papers  in  the 
attic  of  Belmont  Hall  less  than  fifty  years  ago, 
by  John  Cloke,  Esq.,  the  then  owner  of  the 
homestead,  and  a  copy  of  it  sent  to  Washington 
Irving.  Mr.  Irving's  note  of  acknowledgment 
is  courteous  and  characteristic  : 

"  SUNNYSIDE,  August  27,    1855. 

"  DEAR  SIR  : 

"  I  feel  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  copy  of  a 
letter  of  General  Washington's  which  you  have  had  the 
kindness  to  send  me. 

"  By  the  date  it  must  have  been  written  from  his  Head 
quarters  at  Morristown  at  a  time  when  he  apprehended 
a  push  from  the  enemy,  and  could  not  afford  to  dis 
charge  a  Battalion.  But  five  days  previous  to  the  date 
of  this  letter,  he  [General  Washington]  wrote  to  the 
President  of  Congress — '  Reinforcements  come  up  so 
exceedingly  slow  that  I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  left  without 
any  men  before  they  arrive.  The  enemy  must  be  ignor 
ant  of  our  numbers  or  they  have  not  horses  to  move 
their  artillery,  or  they  would  not  suffer  us  to  remain 
undisturbed.' 

"  Washington   might  well  say   that  troops  that  could 
wish  to  abandon  him  and  return  home  at  such  a  moment 
would  remain  the  scoff  of  all  their  worthy  neighbours. 
"  Very  respectfully,  your  obliged  and  obedient  servant, 

"  WASHINGTON  IRVING." 

The  patriotic  Delawarean  and  Daughter  of 
the  American  Revolution  to  whom  I  am  in- 


Belmont  Hall  361 

debted  for  this  valuable  contribution  to  my 
story  of  Belmont  Hall,  subjoins  with  emphasis 
that  is  even  passionate  : 

"  Now  be  it  known  and  inscribed  to  the  honour  and 
glory  of  these  men,  and  of  this  State  of  Delaware,  that 
they  did  stay  all  through  that  winter,  and  that  Delaware 
history  records  the  fact  that  Brigadier-General  Collins 
led  his  native  militia  to  Morristown,  in  the  winter  of 
1777,  and  then  and  there  saw  active  service,  enduring 
all  the  hardships  of  that  memorable  campaign." 

A  list  of  authorities  in  support  of  the  vindi 
cation  follows. 

History  records  a  narrow  escape  from  utter 
spoliation  which  the  garden  county  of  Dela 
ware  had  in  1781.  Arnold  was  fitting  out  the 
expedition  that  was  to  carry  fire  and  sword  up 
the  Rappahannock  and  the  James,  and  the 
wildest  apprehensions  were  entertained  of  his 
taking  the  eastern  coast  of  Delaware  en  route. 
In  a  sort  of  panic  Congress  "  actually  decided 
that  the  only  measure  of  prevention  was  to 
denude  the  region  in  question  of  all  its  live 
stock,  provisions,  and  supplies,  and  starve  the 
inhabitants,  in  order  to  deprive  the  enemy  of 
support  in  case  they  should  decide  to  land." 

A  cavalry  regiment  was  detailed  to  carry 
out  the  ruthless  order,  and  was  about  to  march 


362       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

when  Caesar  Rodney  made  another  hurried 
visit  to  Philadelphia,  and  by  his  determined 
resistance  to  the  vandalistic  decree,  saved  his 
home  and  neighbourhood. 

o 

Colonel  Thomas  Collins  was  Governor 
(President)  of  Delaware  in  1781,  when  her 
deputies,  in  solemn  convention,  ratified  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  To  the 
wisest  statesmen  of  the  infant  Republic  she 
seemed  to  have  passed  through  the  dangers  of 
birth  only  to  incur  the  equal  risk  of  strangula 
tion  in  her  cradle. 

"  The  Constitution,  or  disunion,  are  before 
us  to  choose  from,"  said  Washington.  "  The 
political  concerns  of  the  country  are  suspended 
by  a  single  thread." 

General  Collins,  the  loyal  executive  of  a 
loyal  State,  spoke  out  boldly  : 

"  The  new  Constitution  involves  in  its  adop 
tion,  not  only  our  prosperity  and  felicity,  but, 
perhaps,  our  national  existence." 

Senator  Bayard  might  well  ask  ; 

"  May  not  we  of  Delaware,  descendants  of 
the  Blue  Hen's  Chickens  of  the  Revolution, 
afford  to  smile  at  sneer  or  jest  at  our  scanty 
area  and  population,  and  say — '  Our  best  crop 
is  MEN  !  men  like  Caesar  Rodney'?" 


Belmont  Hall  363 

He  might  have  added — "  Men  like  McKean, 
Cook,  Collins,  Robinson,  Sykes,  Clark,  Bas- 
sett,  Clayton  "-—and  a  score  of  others,  includ 
ing  those  of  his  own  illustrious  line,  now,  as  of 
yore,  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche. 

Governor  Thomas  Collins  was  succeeded 
in  the  ownership  of  Belmont  Hall  by  his  son, 
Dr.  William  Collins.  In  1827,  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  John  Cloke,  Esq.,  the  father  of 
the  present  mistress  of  the  homestead,  Mrs. 
Caroline  Elizabeth  Cloke  Speakman.  Each 
one  of  this  lady's  names  is  a  link  in  the  history 
of  the  old  Hall  in  which  she  was  born  and 
where  she  has  lived  her  busy,  beneficent  life. 

Her  ancestor,  John  Cloke,  emigrated  to 
America  in  the  i  7th  century. 

His  son,  Ebenezer  Cloke,  married  Elizabeth 
Cook,  the  daughter  of  the  Governor  John 
Cook  of  whom  honourable  mention  was  made 
in  the  opening  paragraphs  of  this  chapter. 
His  wife  was  a  sister  of  Thomas  Collins,  and 
a  daughter  married  Hon.  John  Clark,  another 
Governor  of  their  native  State.  Belmont  Hall 
was  one  of  Elizabeth  Cook's  early  homes.  A 
vivid  scene,  pictured  for  us  by  the  traditions 
of  the  place  and  time,  is  of  the  young  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Cloke,  sitting  by  the  tiled  fireplace 


364       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

in  the  parlour,  assisting  her  aunt,  her  cousins, 
and  other  patriotic  women  to  mould  bullets, 
while  armed  men  bivouacked  upon  the  lawn, 
and  the  sentinel  trod  his  lonely  round  upon 
the  balustraded  roof.  She  had  her  own  pecul 
iar  martyrdom  to  the  righteous  Cause.  Her 
husband,  Ebenezer  Cloke,  fitted  out  a  priva 
teer  at  his  own  charges,  and  commanded  her 
in  person  in  coast  cruises  against  the  enemy. 
In  one  of  these  he  was  captured  with  his. 
vessel  and  consigned  to  a  prison-ship. 

"  Here,"  says  a  chronicler,  "  overtures  of  release  were 
daily  made  to  him  and  the  other  prisoners,  provided 
they  would  take  sides  with  Great  Britain  against  the 
Colonies  ;  but  he  resisted  this  bribe  of  a  dishonourable 
freedom,  and  with  liberty  in  reach,  did  he  but  choose  to< 
grasp  it,  he  languished  and  died  of  ship-fever,  a  worthy 
patriot  to  the  last."  ' 

The  tale,  as  sad  as  it  is  brief,  is  the  dark 
curtain  against  which  is  cast  for  us  the  fig 
ure  of  the  bullet-moulder,  lighted  by  the  red 
shine  of  the  fire.  Prayers  and  tears  went 
into  the  shaping  of  the  missiles  that  were  to 
defend  the  Cause  which  had  cost  her  young 
husband  liberty  and  life ;  tears  for  what  she 

1  Rev.  G.  W  Dame,  D.D.  Address  delivered  upon  the  organisa 
tion  of  Elizabeth  Cook  Chanter.  Belmont  Hall,  i8q6. 


Belmont  Hall  367 

had  lost,  prayers  that  the  sacrifice  might  not 
be  in  vain. 

There  is  fine  poetic  compensation  in  the 
facts  that  her  son  became  the  master  of  the 
estate  her  father  had  once  owned ;  that  the 
Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  organised  beneath  the  ancient  roof 
should  receive  her  blessed  name,  and  that  the 
granddaughter  who  proudly  bears  the  same 
should  be  the  honoured  Regent  of  the  Chapter. 

A  blood-relative  and  dear  friend  of  Eliza 
beth  Cook  Cloke  was  Eve  Lear,  the  niece 
of  Dr.  Tobias  Lear,  Washington's  confiden 
tial  secretary,  who  attended  him  in  his  last 
illness. 

"It  is  recorded  of  her,"  says  Dr.  Dame, 
"  that  she  gave  her  entire  fortune  in  gold  to 
feed  and  clothe  the  soldiers  at  Valley  Forge." 

I  had  expected,  before  coming  to  Belmont 
Hall,  to  find  it  redolent  of  such  hallowed 
memories  as  a  potpourri  of  rose-gardens  and 
sunny  bygones.  My  anticipations  are  more 
than  fulfilled  in  the  cherished  relics  with  which 
it  is  stored.  In  the  "winter  kitchen"  in  the 
oldest  wing  yawns  the  cavernous  fireplace 
where  were  roasted  mighty  barons  of  beef  for 
the  officers  of  the  Collins  Brigade  ;  and  sav- 

<*> 


368       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ory  pastries  and  delicate  cates  were  baked, 
and  wines  were  mulled,  according  to  Mistress 
Collins's  choicest  recipes,  for  the  grave  and 
reverend  Councillors  who  must  be  braced  in 
body  if  they  would  be  stout  of  spirit  when  the 
matter  before  their  worships  was  the  resistance 
of  a  few  and  simple  folk  to  the  most  powerful 
government  upon  earth. 

We  are  assured  in  our  own  minds,  although 
unconfirmed  by  history,  that  it  was  here,  on 
winter  nights,  when  the  bewigged  and  beruffled 
Councillors  occupied  the  parlour  and  dining- 
room,  that  bravely  patient  Elizabeth  Cloke— 
and  why  not  Eve  Lear? — melted  lead,  and 
manipulated  the  clumsy  moulds,  and  talked 
of  the  beloved  of  their  blood  and  hearts,  war 
ring  for  freedom  upon  land  and  sea.  Eben- 
ezer  Cloke's  writing-desk,  upon  which  his  wife 
may  have  written  her  letters  to  him  while  he 
was  off  upon  his  cruise,  is  in  the  dining-room. 
There  were  no  banks  then — or  none  accessi 
ble  to  provincial  rebels.  Mr.  Cloke  kept  his 
money  in  the  double  row  of  secret  drawers 
unlike  any  others  we  have  ever  explored. 
The  big  spinning-wheel  near  by  whirled  all 
day  long  for  months  together,  spinning  yarn 
to  be  woven  into  cloth  for  uniforming  the 


Belmont  Hall  369 

Collins  Brigade.  I  am  allowed  to  handle  the 
old  flint-lock  musket  that  was  used  by  John 
Cook,  "  soldier,  legislator,  judge,  senator,  and 
president "  ;  the  two  antique  chairs  on  each 
side  of  the  drawing-room  hearth  were  passed 
down  in  the  Collins  family  as  mementoes  of 
the  period  when  Belmont  Hall,  "  in  addition 
to  its  other  memories,  posed  as  one  of  the 
State  capitals."  They  were  part  of  the  fur 
niture  of  the  room  used  as  a  legislative  cham 
ber  in  1777.  Caesar  Rodney  may  have  sat  in 
one,  or  Thomas  McKean,  or  the  warlike  lord 
of  the  manor,  recalled  from  the  field  to  open 
his  hospitable  doors  to  the  Council. 

The  fireplace  is  set  with  blue  and  white  tiles 
of  the  time  of  William  and  Mary.  They  are 
unchanged  from  the  days  "when,  in  front  of 
the  chimney,  Governor  Collins  wrote  his  mes 
sages  and  planned  with  his  officers  his  cam 
paigns  against  the  British." 

About  the  antiquated  spinet,  which  has 
stood  for  over  fifty  years  in  the  great  garret, 
troop  and  hover  all  manner  of  fancies,  sweet, 
sad,  and  quaint,  such  as  visited  the  mind  of 
one  who,  many  years  ago,  left  a  page  of  im 
promptu  verse  within  the  case,  above  the 
shattered,  tuneless  wires  : 


370       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  In  gown  of  white,  in  sunset  light, 
She  sits  and  plays  upon  her  spinet, 
And  falling  clear  upon  his  ear, 
Come  forth  the  dainty  airs  within  it. 

The  twilight  falls  adown  the  walls, 
Yet  softly  on  her  fair  form  lingers 
A  last  red  glow,  as,  loth  to  go, 
The  sun  leaves  kisses  on  her  fingers. 

They  both  are  gone  !   now  quite  forlorn,, 
In  dusty  attic  stands  the  spinet  ; 
And  nought  remains  to  mark  Love's  pains, 
Except  the  airs  she  found  within  it." 

The  tall  clock  on  the  landing  of  the  hand 
some  staircase,  faced  by  the  stately  peacock 
upon  the  railing,  has  mounted  guard  there  for 
a  century.  The  linen  cambric  sheets  under 
which  I  slept  last  night, — as  fine  as  gossamer, 
and  trimmed  with  old  family  lace, — were  a  part 
of  the  bridal  gear  of  Mrs.  John  Cloke,  upon 
her  coming  to  Belmont  Hall  in  1849.  The 
stately  cedars  on  either  side  of  the  front  porch 
were  planted  upon  the  respective  birthdays  of 
her  two  daughters,  and  named  for  them.  The 
vista  leading  from  the  porch  to  the  gate  is  walled 
and  arched  by  the  close  foliage  of  evergreens 
and  deciduous  trees,  where  song-birds  build  and 


STAIRCASE  OF  BELMONT  HALL. 


371 


Belmont  Hall  373 

make  music  from  dawn  to  dusk.  A  mocking 
bird  was  the  precentor  at  the  matinal  service 
to-day.  Wood-doves  are  cooing  —  and  pre 
sumably  building — in  the  dim  greenery,  as  the 
day  marches  towards  noontide.  Box-trees, 
syringas,  roses,  calycanthus,  and  many  varie 
ties  of  honeysuckles  send  up  waves  of  warmed 
incense  when  the  breeze  shakes  them.  The 
extensive  plantations  are  enclosed  by  match 
less  arbor-vitae  hedges. 

I  have  been  graciously  allowed  to  visit  the 
cellars  under-running  the  entire  building- 
erstwhile  filled  to  the  ceiling  with  army  stores 
—and  found  them,  as  I  had  hoped  I  should,  a 
study  and  a  joy.  Cool,  spacious,  clean,  sweet, 
and  in  every  part — walls,  shelves,  cemented 
floor,  the  very  barrels  and  boxes — white  as 
new-fallen  snow.  Our  hostess  is  a  veritable 
Mrs.  Rundle  in  the  matter  of  pickles,  pre 
serves,  and  jellies,  and  this,  too,  is  a  hereditary 
talent. 

Her  beautiful  grounds  are  ever  open  to  the 
well-mannered  public,  not  excepting  Sunday- 
school  picnics.  Delawareans  sustain  the  repu 
tation  for  law-keeping  and  orderliness  won  in 
the  "  Long  time  ago,"  by  never  presuming 
upon  this  large-hearted  hospitality. 


374       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

We  talk  of  "places,"  not  houses;  "  planta 
tions,"  not  farms,  while  lingering  in  the  vener 
able  peninsula.  Everybody  hereabouts  has 
quotable  ancestors,  and  neighbourhood  gene 
alogies  are  known,  and  may  be  read,  of  all 
men.  Each  farmstead  has  its  legend  ;  every 
old  tree  its  anecdote  ;  and  none  have  been 
forgotten. 

A  venerable  lady  who  passed  from  earth  in 
1882  did  more  than  can  ever  be  fully  told 
towards  keeping  the  glorious  Past  alive  in 
the  minds  of  this  generation.  The  grounds 
of  "  Woodlawn,"  the  beautiful  family  seat  of 
George  W.  Cummins,  Esq.,  adjoin  those  of  Bel- 
mont  Hall.  Mrs.  Anne  Denny,  Mr.  Cummins's 
mother-in-law,  was  born  in  Kent  County,  Del 
aware,  January  i,  i  778.  She  was,  therefore,  one 
hundred  and  four  years  old  at  the  time  of  her 
death,  and,  retaining  all  her  faculties  to  the 
last,  was  a  most  valuable  bond  to  the  last 
century.  A  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
the  placidity  of  spirit  and  demeanour  cultivated 
by  them  as  one  of  the  first  of  Christian  graces, 
had  been  brought  by  her  to  perfection  through 
all  these  years  of  aspiration  after  the  highest 
good.  Her  "  household's  most  precious  and 
most  highly  cherished  treasure,  the  centre  of 


Belmont  Hall 


375 


attraction  and  light  of  the  home,"  as  one  who 
knew  her  long  and  intimately  called  her,  she 
was  the  pride  and  delight  of  the  region  blest 
.and  dignified  by  her  abiding. 

"  She  was  older  than  the  Government  under 
which  we  live  "  ; — so  runs  the  loving  tribute  to 
her  memory.  "  Her  childhood  was  spent  in  the 
days  when  our  public  men  were  noted  for  that 
purity  of  life  for  which  she  herself  was  so 
distinguished." 

Mrs.  Denny  was  a  woman  of  fine  intellect, 
keen  perceptions,  and  extensive  observation. 
"  Her  memory  being  clear  as  to  the  events  of 
•each  successive  year  that  had  rolled  over  her," 
since  her  early  childhood,  conversation  with 
her  was  like  drawing  directly  from  the  twin 
streams  of  History  and  Tradition. 

A  biographer  writes  : 

We  may  mention,  as  one  incident  of  her  childhood, 
that  she  and  many  other  children  gathered  in  Wilming 
ton  to  greet  General  Washington,  as  he  passed  through 
to  his  first  Inauguration  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  When  the  great  man  came  opposite  to  her, 
attracted  probably  by  that  sweetness  of  expression 
which  was  always  hers,  he  stooped,  took  her  in  his  arms, 
and  kissed  her." 

Washington   Irving1   never    forgot    that    his 

o  o  o 


3/6       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

nurse  had  taken  him  into  a  shop  where  Wash 
ington  was  standing,  and  introduced  her 
charge  to  the  President  as  "  a  little  boy  who 
was  named  after  Your  Excellency,"  where 
upon  the  hero  laid  his  hand  upon  the  sunny 
head  and  "  hoped  he  would  grow  up  to  be  a 
good  man." 

The  little  girl  whom  Washington  embraced 
and  kissed  told  the  story  to  her  great-grand 
children.  Caesar  Rodney  was  President  of 
the  Delaware  State  when  she  was  born,  and 
she  outlived  twelve  of  the  fifteen  Governors 
from  Kent  County  who  were  his  successors  in 
office  during  the  century  that  followed.  She 
had  been  a  married  woman  for  two  years  when 
Washington  died  in  1799,  and  was  widowed 
four  years  after  the  war  of  1812.  Born  amid 
the  thunders  of  the  Revolution,  she  read  three 
other  Declarations  of  War,  issued  by  as  many 
Presidents  of  these  United  States,  and  heard, 
three  times,  the  joy  bells  of  Peace.  She 
marked  the  birth  and  growth  of  inventions  we 

o 

now  receive  as  the  commonest  necessaries  of 
everyday  life, — such  as  steam-transportation, 
the  magnetic  telegraph,  the  telephone,  the 
electric-car,  the  sewing-machine  and  the  type 
writer.  Upon  these,  and  all  other  subjects  of 


Belmont  Hall  377 

interest  and   benefit  to   the  human  race,  she 
had  her  opinion,  always  speaking  out  bravely 
for  Right  and  Truth.     Physically  and  mentally 
her  bow  abode  in  strength — and  strangest  of 
all,  when  we  consider  what  the  wear  and  tear  of 
a  century's  joys,  griefs,  and  worries  must  be  to 
brain  and  nerve,  "  None  of  the  family  at  Wood- 
lawn, —  children,    grandchildren,    or    servants 
— e  v  e  r   received 
from  her  a  harsh 
word,    or   an    un 
kind  look." 

I    account  it  a 

privilege    a  n  d    a  0  "fe» 

rare  honour  to 
hear  all  this  from 
the  lips  of  my 
hostess  (who  was 
her  loving  friend 
and  nearest  neigh- 
bour),  while  we  sit 
under  the  ances- 
tral  trees  of  Bel 
mont  Hall  in  the  MRS.  ANNE  DENNY. 

1  •  (TAKEN  AT  THE  AGE  OF  101.)      BORN  1778.       DIED  1882. 

summer  seclusion 

of  shade  and  silence.      It  is  a  fit  place  and  time 

for  listening  to  a  letter  read  to  the  accompani- 


378       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

ment  of  the  weak  wind  playing-  with  the  Nor 
way  firs  and  losing  itself  in  the  vista  they 
enclose  : 

"  It  seemed  to  me,  then — and  it  is  a  deepened  sense 
now — as  if  she  had  been  so  long  at  the  heavenly 
portal  that  she  was  breathing  the  very  atmosphere 
of  the  New  Jerusalem.  As  if  she  had  had  some 
glimpse  of  the  King  in  His  beauty,  and  that,  though 
her  feet  were  on  the  earth,  yet  her  conversation  was  in 
Heaven. 

"  Do  you  recollect  the  message  she  gave  me  ? 

'  Tell  my  friends,'  she  said,  '  that  I  have  a  beauti 
ful  home  here,  but  that  I  desire  so  to  live  that  I  may  be 
ready  and  willing  to  leave  it  when  the  message  may 
be  sent  to  me.'  ''' 

This  was  upon  her  one-hundred-and-fourth 
birthday,  when,  as  was  their  custom,  her  most 
intimate  friends,  Mrs.  Peterson  -  Speakman 
among  them,  gathered  at  Woodlawn  to  pay 
their  respects,  offer  congratulations,  and  ex 
press  their  desire  that  the  wonderful  life  might 
be  prolonged  yet  further  into  her  second 
century.  One  of  the  company,  on  taking 
leave,  "  hoped  that  he  might  meet  her  again 
on  the  next  anniversary." 

Her  answer  was  firm  and  sweet;  "I  neither 
expect  nor  desire  it ! " 


Belmont  Hall 


379 


In  four  days  more  the  beautiful  link  bind 
ing  together  three  generations  of  mortal  lives, 
parted  gently.  The  listening  spirit  had  re 
ceived  "  the  message." 


XIII 

THE    LANGDON  AND    WENTWORTH    HOUSES, 
IN  PORTSMOUTH,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

T  F  geologists  are  trustworthy  sources  of  know- 
A  ledge,  the  stony  spine  of  New  Hampshire 
was  the  first  part  of  our  continent  upheaved 
from  the  primeval  ocean. 

As  if  in  obedience  to  an  occult  law  of  prior 
ity,  the  "  Granite  State  "  has  consistently  pressed 
to  the  front  ever  since  she  took  upon  herself 
the  name  and  the  dignity  of  a  commonwealth. 
The  map  of  her  brief  coast  was  one  of  the 
earliest  charts  made  out  by  the  first  admiral 
of  New  England,  Captain  John  Smith  (in 
1614).  From  the  Portsmouth  Navy-yard,  the 
oldest  in  the  country,  was  launched,  in  1777, 
the  Ranger,  ordered  by  the  Continental  Con 
gress,  which,  under  the  command  of  John 
Paul  Jones,  had  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  war-vessel  to  hoist  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
and  receive  a  formal  naval  salute. 

580 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    381 

Stark's  Volunteer  Brigade,  that  helped  to 
-win  the  first  decisive  victory  for  the  Americans 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  was  fitted  out  at 
the  expense  of  John  Langdon  of  Portsmouth, 
and  his  was  the  first  signature  affixed  to  the 
Federal  Constitution  drafted  by  the  Conven 
tion  of  1778. 

Portsmouth,  the  only  seaport  of  the  sturdy 
State,  was  settled  in  1623,  and  was  created  a 
township  in  1653.  In  1890 — just  three  hundred 
years  after  the  launching  of  the  Falkland,  the 
first  war-vessel  built  in  her  clocks — she  had  a 
population  of  10,000,  with  an  allowance  of  one 
church  and-an-eighth  for  every  thousand  inhabit 
ants,  and  public-school  property  to  the  amount  of 
$100,000.  All  of  which  shows  oneness  of  spirit 
with  pioneers  who  marched  five  hundred  strong 
to  do  battle  at  Louisburgin  1645,  a°d  who  fur 
nished  the  same  number  of  soldiers  to  attack 
Crown  Point  in  1755.  Of  a  like  strain  were 
the  12,500  Continental  militia  who  answered 
the  call  of  Congress  during  the  eight  years' 
struggle  for  the  liberty  of  the  Colonies.  Some 
thing  of  the  strength  and  inflexibility  of  the 
Eozoic  period,  to  which  belong  her  everlast 
ing  hills,  would  seem  to  permeate  New  Hamp- 
.shire's  civic,  religious,  and  moral  institutions. 


382       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Benning  Wentworth  was  made  Governor  of 
the  State  in  1741.  Most  of  us  are  more  fa 
miliar  with  his  name  than  with  that  of  the  very 
much  better  man  who  was  born  that  same  year. 
History  was  made  of  John  Langdon's  works 
and  warrings.  Poetry  has  made  Benning 
Wentworth's  wooing  and  wedding  famous. 

The  Colonial  parody  of  the  story  of  Lord 
Bzwleigh  and  the  Village  Maid  is  musically 
rendered  by  Longfellow.  Governor  Benning 
Wentworth  married  Martha  Hilton,  once  a 
servant-girl  at  the  Stavers  Tavern  in  Queen 
(afterward  called  "  Buck,"  now  State)  Street, 
but  since  promoted  to  the  housekeeper's  office 
in  the  Governor's  household.  The  wedding 
feast  was  a  surprise  party,  given  upon  the 
bridegroom's  sixtieth  birthday. 

"  He  had  invited  all  his  friends  and  peers, 
The  Pepperills,  the  Langdons,  and  the  Lears, 
The  Sparhawks,  the  Penhallows,  and  the  rest — 
For  why  repeat  the  name  of  every  guest  ?  " 

The  Reverend  Arthur  Brown  hesitating  to  per 
form  the  ceremony,  was  commanded,  in  the 
name  of  the  law,  to  proceed  with  it. 

The  marriage  was  at  Little  Harbour,  the 
gubernatorial  mansion  there  having  been  built. 


PARLOUR  OF  WENTWORTH    MANSION,   IN  WHICH  QOV.    BENNINQ  WENT- 
WORTH  WAS  MARRIED  TO  MARTHA  HILTON 


333 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    385 

in  1750.  Until  that  time  the  Wentworths 
had  lived  in  what  is  known  as  the  Went- 
worth-Vaughan  Tavern,  on  Manning  Street, 
Portsmouth.  Samuel  Wentworth,  the  grand 
father  of  Governor  Benning,  was  licensed  in 
1690,  "to  entertain  strangers,  and  to  sell  and 
to  brew  beare  as  the  law  allows,"  in  this,  the 
house  he  had  built.  It  is  one  of  the  dozen  or 
more  Colonial  homesteads  in  Portsmouth  that 
repay  the  visitor  to  the  quaint  old  seaport  for 
the  time  and  trouble  the  journey  hither  has 
cost  him. 

The  event  that  gave  us  the  poem  of  Lady 
Wentworth,  is  squeezed  in  the  Parish  Register 
of  St.  John's  Church,  into  a  space  just  one 
inch  square  : 

"Portsmouth,  March  I  $th,  Benning  Went 
worth,  Gov.,  Martha  Hilton.  '59." 

Another  entry  dated  a  few  months  after  the 
elderly  bridegroom's  death,  shows  that  Lady 
Wentworth  speedily  consoled  herself  for  the 
loss  of  her  Burleigh  by  wedding  his  brother, 
Colonel  Michael  Wentworth  of  His  Majesty's 
service. 

Sir  John  Wentworth,  LL.D.  was  the  uxori 
ous  Benning's  nephew.  He  was,  by  three 
years,  the  senior  of  John  Langdon.  The  boys 


386       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

may  have  fought  together  on  the  village 
green,  and  upon  the  play-ground  attached  to 
worshipful  Major  Hale's  school,  as  they  strug 
gled  in  their  manhood  in  the  arena  of  Colonial 
politics. 

The  Langdon  family  was  one  of  the  oldest 
in  Portsmouth  and  always  conspicuous  in  her 
domestic  and  public  annals.  John,  the  most 
distinguished  citizen  of  town  and  Province, 
was  born  in  1740  or  1741. 

"  His  boyhood  was  unmarked  by  prophecy  or  won 
ders.  He  did  what  other  boys  did  ;  trudged  to  the 
Latin  school  kept  by  the  celebrated  Major  Hale,  who 
was  one  of  the  characters  of  his  day,  recited  his  lessons,, 
and  left  no  gleaming  legend  for  scholarship.  Langdon 
was  not  a  genius,  and  sound  sense  always  kept  him 
safely  within  bounds." 

John  Wentworth,  the  Governor's  nephew 
was  graduated  at  twenty-two  from  Harvard 
College  ;  at  twenty-eight  (in  1 765),  he  was  sent 
by  the  Provincial  Government  to  England 
upon  a  special  mission.  That  year,  his  titled 
relative,  Charles  Watson  Wentworth,  Marquis 
of  Rockingham,  was  made  Premier  of  Great 
Britain.  He  was  to  become  the  idol  of  a 
fleeting  hour  in  America  on  account  of  his 

Charles  R.  Corning,  in  New  England  Magazine,  July  1894. 


GOVERNOR    BENNINQ    WENTWORTH 

387 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    389 

agency  in  the  repeal   of  the    detested  Stamp 
Act,  and  was  always  popular  in  the  Colonies. 

John  Wentworth  returned  to  Portsmouth  in 
1767  as  "  Surveyor  of  the  King's  Woods  in 
America  and  Governor  of  New  Hampshire." 
The  curled  and  perfumed  darling  of  Fortune — 
like  his  uncle  and  predecessor  in  office— 

"  Represented  England  and  the  King 
And  was  magnificent  in  everything." 

Longfellow  paints  a  street  scene  in  that 
Old  Portsmouth  for  us  : 

"A  gay 

And  brilliant  equipage  that  flashed  and  spun, 
The  silver  harness  glittering  in  the  sun, 
Outriders  with  red  jackets,  lithe  and  lank, 
Pounding  the  saddles  as  they  rose  and  sank  ; 
While,  all  alone  within  the  chariot,  sat 
A  portly  person  with  three-cornered  hat 
A  crimson  velvet  coat,  head  high  in  air, 
Gold-headed  cane,  and  nicely  powdered  hair, 
And  diamond  buckles,  sparkling  at  his  knees." 

Ah  !  the  world  went  very  well  then  with 
the  future  baronet  in  his  Great  House  at  Little 
Harbour,  "looking  out  to  sea." 

The  sea  upon  which  John  Langdon,  who 
was  never  to  prefix  or  suffix  a  foreign  title  to 
his  honest  name,  was  then  making  the  fortune 


39°       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

to  be  staked  upon  the  result  of  the  conflict 
between  his  native  Province  and  the  King 
represented  by  his  former  schoolfellow.  After 
serving  an  apprenticeship  in  a  Portsmouth 

counting-house,  the  man 
without  genius  chose  his 
career.  Money  was  to 
be  made  surely  and 
swiftly  by  trading  di 
rectly  with  the  Indies, 
Africa,  and  Europe. 
John  Langdon  was  one 
who  ever  knew  his  own 

LANQDON  COAT  OF  ARMS  i        .         .  ^     i  i 

mind    intimately  ;     who 

understood  his  own  purposes  and  abode  by 
them.  He  meant  to  become  rich,  and  that 
Portsmouth  and  New  Hampshire  should  profit 
by  his  prosperity. 

"  Moons  waxed  and  waned  ;  the  lilacs  bloomed  and  died. 
In  the  broad  river  ebbed  and  flowed  the  tide  ; 
Ships  went  to  sea,  and  ships  came  home  from  sea, 
And  the  slow  years  sailed  by,  and  ceased  to  be." 

The  world  was  not  going  so  well  for  Gov 
ernor  Wentworth  when  the  seafarer  decided 
to  leave  off  roving  and  resume  home  and 
mercantile  life.  Fortune's  darling  was  still 

O 

personally  popular  with  his  fellow-citizens,  but 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    391 

the  King  he  represented  was  growing  daily 
more  obnoxious.  The  gallant  fellow  had  done 
his  best,  according  to  the  light  that  was  in  him, 
toward  securing  the  best  interests  of  the  coun 
try  as  dear  to  him  as  to  any  of  the  malcontents. 
He  had  given  a  charter  to  Dartmouth  College, 
rising  superior  to  any  small  partiality  for  his 
own  Alma  Mater  ;  he  was  the  farmer's  friend 
and  zealous  coadjutor,  and,  as  chief  magistrate 
of  the  Colony,  encouraged  immigration  and  de 
velopment  of  all  her  resources.  As  the  direct 
result  of  his  wise  legislation,  New  Hampshire 
had,  by  now,  a  population  of  80,000,  and  was 
growing  rapidly  in  numbers  and  wealth. 

With  indignant  pain  the  Governor  awoke 
to  the  truth  that  has  confounded  many  another 
favourite  of  the  people, — to  wit,  that  the  dullest 
yokel  can  dissociate  men  and  measures  when 
self-interest  is  abraded.  One  and  all  of  those 
who  visited  the  Great  House,  or  bared  their 
heads  as  the  Governor's  chariot  drove  through 
the  streets  of  his  capital  city,  liked  and  ap 
proved  of  him,  and  of  what  he  had  done  in  the 
past  for  town  and  townspeople.  But  resent 
ments  and  resolves  which  were,  in  two  years' 
time,  to  crystallise  into  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  were  as  rife  in  New  Hampshire  as  in 


392       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

her  sister  provinces.  A  long  series  of  wrongs 
and  misread  rights  had  aroused  the  loyal  and 
patient  young  giant  that  now  knew  itself  to  be 
a  nation.  It  was  beyond  the  power  of  any 
individual  to  quiet  the  tempest. 

John  Wentworth,  too,  was  loyal  and  patient. 
Loyal  to  his  sovereign  and  in  love  for  his  fel 
low-citizens,  patient,  to  an  extent  that  awakens 
our  affectionate  and  compassionate  respect, 
with  his  misguided  compatriots.  His  policy 
was  conciliatory  from  the  outset  to  the  bitter 
and  unlooked-for  end.  It  was,  therefore,  a 
heavy  disappointment  and  a  personal  sorrow 
when,  in  the  depth  of  a  December  night,  in 
1774,  a  party,  headed  by  John  Langdon  and 
John  Sullivan — (Major-General  Sullivan  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  subsequently  Attorney- 
General,  then,  President  of  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire)  surprised  and  overcame  the  little 
garrison  at  Fort  William  and  Mary,  New 
Castle,  securing  the  ordnance  and  ammunition 
for  the  Colonial  army.  The  expedition  was  a 
direct  assault  upon  the  Royal  Government ;  the 
assailants  were  little  better  than  an  infuriated 
mob,  such  as  no  one  who  knew  John  Langdon 
as  a  sober,  law-abiding  citizen  would  have 
expected  him  to  countenance,  much  less  to 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses  393 
organise  and  conduct.  Yet  there  is  no  record  of 

o 

any  effort  at  reprisal  on  the  part  of  the  King's 
representative,  and  nothing  to  show  that  the 
relations  between  him  and  Langdon  were 
strained  by  what  was  a  crime  in  the  eye  of 
established  law. 

On  the  contrary,  the  message  sent  by  Went 
worth  to  the  Provincial  House  of  Representa 
tives  convened  in  Portsmouth,  May  1775,  and 
to  which  John  Langdon  was  a  delegate,  was 
full  of  kindly  and  moderate  counsels.  The 
colonists  were  advised  to  bear  and  forbear  until 
the  unhappy  misunderstandings  were  cleared 
up,  and  exhorted  to  continued  confidence  in 
the  Home  Government  which  had  been  pater 
nal  in  past  kindnesses. 

In  reply,  a  Committee  from  the  House 
waited  upon  the  Governor.  John  Langdon's 
was  among  the  serious  visages  that  met  Went- 
worth's  ready  smile.  The  two  were,  as  we 
have  seen,  not  far  apart  in  age,  John  Langdon 
being  now  thirty-five,  John  Wentworth,  thirty- 
eight.  The  crisis  was  too  grave  for  diplomatic 
circumlocution.  The  Committee  drove  straight 
to  the  object  of  their  visit.  The  temper  of  the 
Assembly  was  too  fiery  to  allow  calm  discussion 
of  the  matters  set  forth  in  his  Excellency's 


394      More  Colonial  Homesteads 

message.  They  would  not  answer  for  the 
consequences  if  the  members  proceeded  forth 
with  to  business.  John  Langdon  was  a  lover 
of  liberty.  He  was  also  a  lover  of  fair  play, 
and  so  far  as  was  practicable  in  the  present  ex 
cited  state  of  public  feeling,  a  lover  of  peace 
and  concord.  He  strongly  recommended,  and 
his  colleagues  agreed  with  him,  that  the  session 
be  postponed  for  a  month.  After  a  little  par 
leying  the  Governor  acquiesced  in  the  propos 
ition.  He  was  confident,  at  heart,  of  winning 
his  people  back  to  their  allegiance.  Before  the 
month  was  half  gone,  another  organised  exhi 
bition  of  popular  feeling,  engineered  as  before, 
by  substantial  citizens,  and  led  by  Langdon 
and  Sullivan,  heated  the  blood  of  town  and 
Colony.  The  fortifications  of  Jerry's  Point, 
one  of  the  harbour  defences,  were  demolished  ; 
more  muniments  of  war  fell  to  the  portion  of 
the  insurgents. 

The  crowning  insult  to  King  and  to  Gov 
ernor  came  in  May  of  1775.  Colonel  Fen- 
ton,  "a  well-known  and  well-hated"  British 
officer,  was  dining  with  the  Governor,  when  a 
mob  collected  in  front  of  the  Great  House, 
trained  a  field-piece  upon  it,  and  demanded 
the  loyalist's  person.  Before  the  host  could 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    395 


interfere  to  prevent  him,  Colonel  Fenton 
•coolly  walked  out  of  the  front  door  and  gave 
himself  up.  He 
was  hurried 
away  under 
guard  to  Exeter. 
Stung  and  hu 
miliated  as  he 
was  by  these  re 
peated  outrages, 
John  Went 
worth  was  suffi 
ciently  master  of 
himself  to  essay 
further  concilia 
tion  of  the  turb 
ulent  populace. 
Langdon  still 
held  to  the  Opin-  JOHN  WENTWORTH,  LAST  ROYAL 

,        ^    .  11  GOVERNOR  OF  N.  H. 

ion  that  it  would 

be  unsafe  to  bring  the  Convention  together 
at  present,  and  the  Governor  once  more  post 
poned  the  session,  this  time  until  July. 

"  Before  the  day  of  assembling  came,  the  last  Royal 
Governor  [of  New  Hampshire]  had  fled  to  the  protec 
tion  of  H.  M.  Frigate  Scarborough.  The  people  at  last 
were  kings,  responsible  only  to  themselves." 


396         More  Colonial  Homesteads 

Personally, — and  I  would  fain  believe  that 
my  reader  is  with  me, — I  own  to  much  and 
sympathetic  interest  in  this  special  Royal  Gov 
ernor.  All  that  we  gather  concerning  him 
shows  us  a  right  goodly  figure,  debonair  and 
dashing,  as  might  well  be  in  one  richly  en 
dowed  by  nature  and  circumstance  with  gifts 
that  captivate  his  fellow-men  and  all  classes  of 
women. 

A  local  historian  treats  us  to  a  diverting  ac 
count  of  John  Wentworth's  marriage,  which 
set  gossiping  tongues — hardly  stilled  from  dis 
cussion  of  his  uncle's  escapade — to  wagging 
hotly  and  furiously.  The  nephew  and  suc 
cessor  of  Benning  Wentworth  was  unhappy 
in  his  first  love,  the  lady  jilting  him  to  marry 
Colonel  Atkinson  of  Portsmouth.  Two  years 
after  Wentworth  returned  from  England,  Gov 
ernor  of  New  Hampshire  and  Royal  Surveyor 
of  the  Woods  of  North  America,  Colonel  At 
kinson  died.  I  copy  the  rest  of  the  tale  from 
Rambles  about  Portsmouth  : 

"  The  widow  was  arrayed  in  the  dark  habiliments  of 
mourning,  which,  we  presume,  elicited  an  immense 
shower  of  tears,  as  the  fount  was  so  soon  exhausted. 
The  next  day  the  mourner  appeared  in  her  pew  at  church 
as  a  widow.  But  that  was  the  last  Sabbath  of  the  widow. 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    397 

On  Monday  morning  there  was  a  new  call  for  the  serv 
ices  of  the  milliner,  the  unbecoming  black  must  be  laid 
.aside  and  brighter  colours,  as  becomes  a  Governor's 
bride,  must  take  its  place." 

She  espoused  Governor  Wentworth  in 
Queen's  Chapel  exactly  ten  days  after  her 
first  husband's  demise. 

The  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Province  was 
gorgeously  bedight  in  a  white  cloth  coat, 
trimmed  with  "  rich  gold  lace,"  white  silk 
u  stocking-breeches,"  and  embroidered  blue 
silk  waistcoat  coming  down  to  his  thighs. 
His  hat  was  "  recockt  "  for  the  occasion,  and 
caught  up  at  the  side  with  gold  lace,  button, 
and  loop.  His  bonny  brown  hair  was  tied  in 
a  queue  with  three  yards  of  white  ribbon. 

They  were  married  by  the  same  clergyman 
to  whom  Longfellow  introduces  us  in  Lady 
Wentworth  : 

"  The  rector  there,  the  Reverend  Arthur  Brown 
Of  tjie  Established  Church  ;  with  smiling  face, 
He  sat  beside  the  Governor  and  said  grace." 

As  a  sequitur  to  this  second  unconventional 
performance  of  the  Governors  Wentworth, 
our  local  chronicle  relates  : 


398       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

"  Rev.  Arthur  Brown  may  have  been  excited  beyond 
his  wont  by  the  celerity  of  the  proceedings,  considering- 
the  mourning  so  hastily  put  off.  Perhaps  he  was  solilo 
quising  on  the  course  of  human  events  and  wondering 
what  might  happen  next.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  wan 
dered,  absent-mindedly,  down  the  steps  after  the  wed 
ding  ceremony,  and  falling,  broke  his  arm." 

This  marriage  extraordinary  took  place  in 
1769.  The  new  Lady  Wentworth  queened  it 
superbly  in  the  provinces,  and  when  she  ac 
companied  her  husband  to  England  in  1775, 
became  one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting  to  the 
Queen  of  George  III.  She  lived  to  extreme 
old  age.  Their  only  son  died  before  either  of 
the  parents. 

"  For  a'  that  an'  a'  that,"  we  dismiss  the 
bold  bridegroom  from  our  pages  regretfully. 
Compared  with  Edmund  Andros  of  New  Eng 
land,  Berkeley  and  Dunmore  of  Virginia,  and 
Leisler  of  New  York,  he  was  a  gentle  and 
beneficent  ruler,  and  deserved  to  be  held  in 
affectionate  remembrance  by  those  he  had 
served.  His  property  was  confiscated  after 
his  flight  to  England;  he  returned  to  Amer 
ica  as  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Nova  Scotia 
in  1792,  was  made  a  baronet  in  1795,  and 
died  in  Halifax  in  1820,  aged  eighty-three. 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   40 J 

Although  we  have  the  story  of  Lady  Went 
worth  the  first  at  our  finger's  ends,  we  think 
more,  and  tenderly,  of  Governor  Benning's 
nephew  in  visiting  Wentworth  Hall,  at  Little 
Harbour.  It  is  an  irregular  group  of  build 
ings  that  does  not  warrant  the  poet's  descrip 
tion, 

"  A  noble  pile, 
Baronial  and  colonial  in  its  style." 

The  several  parts  composing  it  seem  to  have 
been  thrown  together,  rather  than  arranged  in 
obedience  to  any  architectural  design.  There 
were  originally  fifty-two  rooms ;  now  there  are 
but  forty-five.  Rising  ground  hides  the  house 
from  the  road,  but  it  is  open  toward  the  sea  on 
two  sides.  John  Wentworth  stabled  his  horses 
in  the  extensive  cellars  after  the  era  of  popular 
tumults  began.  Thirty  horses  could  be  com 
fortably  housed  here.  The  ancient  council- 
chamber  is  in  admirable  preservation.  It  is 
an  imposing  apartment,  finished  in  the  best 
style  of  the  last  century.  The  fine  mantel 
represents  a  year's  work  with  knife  and  chisel. 
In  the  billiard-room  hangs  the  familiar  por 
trait  of  Dorothy  Quincy,  the  "  Dorothy  Q  "  of 
Holmes's  delightful  verses. 


402       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  present  owner  of  Wentworth  Hall,  Mr.. 
Coolidge,  formerly  of  Boston,  is  most  hospit 
able  to  those  inquisitive  strangers  whose  desire 
to  behold  the  time-honoured  precincts  springs 
from  reverent  interest  in  the  past  it  commem 
orates. 

As  we  sit  upon  the  sofa  in  the  spacious 
drawing-room,  so  deftly  restored  and  so  jeal 
ously  protected  that  we  might  be  gazing  upon 
wainscot  and  ceiling  with  Martha  Hilton's 

o 

housewifely  eyes,  or  with  the  satisfied  regards 
of  Colonel  Atkinson's  late  relict,  we  hearken 
to  another  and  yet  more  sensational  legend 
than  that  perpetuated  by  Longfellow. 

According  to  this,  Governor  Benning  Went 
worth — a  widower  made  childless  by  the  death 
of  three  sons — cast  approving  glances  upon 
Molly  Pitman,  a  lass  of  low  degree,  who  was 
betrothed  to  a  certain  Richard  Shortridge,  a 
mechanic,  and  therefore  in  her  own  rank  of 
life.  Her  persistent  refusal  of  the  great  man 
so  incensed  him  that,  by  his  connivance,  a 
press-gang  was  sent  to  the  house  of  Short- 
ridge  and  carried  him  off  to  sea.  After  sun 
dry  transfers  from  one  ship  to  another,  he 
gained  the  good-will  of  his  commanding  officer, 
who  listened  patiently  to  his  piteous  tale. 


OLD   MANTEL  IN  THE  COUNCIL-CHAMBER  OF  WENTWORTH   HALL 


403 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   405 

44  Run  away,  my  lad,  and  we  won't  pursue 
you,"  was  the  practical  advice  of  the  superior. 

Richard  Shortridge  was  not  slow  in  taking 
the  friendly  hint.  Upon  his  return  to  Ports 
mouth,  he  found  his  Molly  faithful,  and  mar 
ried  her. 

It  was  after  this  most  unhandsome  behav 
iour  upon  the  Governor's  part  (for  which  we 
were  not  prepared  by  Longfellow,  et  als\  that 
he  espoused  Martha  Hilton. 

As  they  would  have  phrased  it,  the  Ports 
mouth  people  had  no  stomach  for  diverting 
tales  of  any  kind,  for  gossip  of  marrying  and 
giving  in  marriage,  of  singing  men  and  sing 
ing  women.  All  this  was  vanity  of  vanities 
while  the  old  government  was  going  to  pieces 
under  them,  and  the  seafaring  qualities  of  the 
hastily  constructed  raft  of  the  new  were 
problematical. 

John  Langdon  and  John  Sullivan  were  com 
missioners  to  the  first  Continental  Congress  in 
May,  1 775,  conferring  there  with  Patrick  Henry, 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  Caesar  Rodney,  Samuel 
Adams,  George  Washington,  and  others.  Lang 
don  was  at  home  again,  July  3d.  We  are  in 
debted  to  Mr.  Corning  for  part  of  a  letter 
which  shows  us  the  moved  depths  of  a  nature 


406       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

that,  up  to  this  time,  has  seemed  quiet  to  cold 
ness,  self-contained  to  austerity  : 

"  The  low  mean  revenge  and  wanton  cruelty  of  the 
Ministerial  sons  of  tyranny  in  burning  the  pleasant 
Town  of  Charlestown  Beggars  all  Description.  This 
does  not  look  like  the  fight  of  those  who  have  so  long 
been  Friends,  and  would  hope  to  be  Friends  again,  but 
rather  of  a  most  cruel  enemy,  tho'  we  shall  not  wonder 
when  we  Reflect  that  it  is  the  infernald  hand  of  Tyranny 
which  always  has,  and  Ever  will  delluge  that  part  of  the 
World  (which  it  lays  hold  of)  in  Blood.  ...  I  am 
sorry  to  be  alone  in  so  great  and  important  Business  as 
that  of  representing  a  whole  Colony,  which  no  man  is 
equal  to,  but  how  to  avoid  it,  I  know  not.  ...  I 
shall  endeavor,  as  far  as  my  poor  abilities  will  admit  of, 
to  render  every  service  in  my  power  to  my  Country." 

In  1776,  he  was  appointed  by  Congress  to 
superintend  the  building  of  the  frigate  Raleigh, 
and  did  not  return  to  Philadelphia  for  some 
months.  To  this  absence  was  due  the  mis 
fortune  that  his  name  did  not  take  its  rightful 
place  among  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  He  was  made  Speaker  of  the 
New  Hampshire  House  of  Representatives  in 
1776  and  in  1777. 

"He  was  no  orator,"  says  his  biographer, 
"  and  scarcely  a  fair  talker." 

The  exigency  of  Burgoyne's  march  towards 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   407 

New  England,  and  the  unreadiness  of  the 
patriots  to  meet  him  induced  the  Committee 
•of  Safety  to  recall  the  Provincial  Assembly  in 
haste.  The  summons  got  the  members  to 
gether  in  three  days'  time,  but  their  alacrity  in 
obeying  the  call  was  not  expressive  of  the 
state  of  their  spirits.  Men's  hearts  were  fail 
ing  them  for  fear.  What  hope  of  success 
ful  resistance  had  companies  of  raw  militia, 
hurriedly  drawn  together,  and  commanded  by 
provincial  officers,  when  opposed  by  the  flower 
of  the  English  army  in  an  overwhelming  ma 
jority  as  to  numbers  ?  A  more  despondent 
and  woe-begone  set  of  representatives  was 
never  collected  in  the  Assembly  Hall.  Lang 
don  sat,  silent  and  observant,  in  the  Speaker's 
chair  until  the  prevalent  discouragement  began 
to  take  unto  itself  words.  Then  the  patriot 
who  was  "scarcely  a  fair  talker"  sprang  to  his 
feet,  the  fire  of  a  Henry  in  his  eyes,  the  ring 
of  Henry's  eloquence  upon  his  tongue.  With 
out  preamble  or  the  waste  of  a  word,  he  flung 
out  the  briefest  and  most  pertinent  speech 
ever  uttered  in  any  Legislature : 

r'  /  have  three  thousand  dollars  in  hard  money  !  I 
will  pledge  my  plate  for  three  thousand  more.  I  have 
.seventy  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  which  shall  be  sold 


4o8       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

for  the  most  it  will  bring.1  These  are  at  the  service  of 
the  State.  If  we  succeed  in  defending  our  firesides  and 
homes,  I  may  be  remembered.  If  we  do  not,  the 
property  will  be  of  no  value  to  me.  Our  old  friend 
Stark,  who  so  nobly  sustained  the  honour  of  our  State  at 
Bunker  Hill,  may  be  safely  intrusted  with  the  conduct 
of  the  enterprise, — and  we  will  check  the  progress  of 
Burgoyne  !  " 

The  effect  was  electric.  The  House  re 
solved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole 
and  ordered  the  entire  militia  of  the  State  to 
be  formed  into  two  brigades.  The  command 
was  given  by  acclamation  to  Stark.  As  I 
have  said,  John  Langdon's  money  equipped 
a  volunteer  battalion.  John  Langdon  in  per 
son  led  one  company  at  Bennington.  It  is 
with  a  thrill  of  genuine  satisfaction  that  we 

o 

read  of  Colonel  Langdon's  presence  at  the  sur 
render  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga  and  that  to 
him  was  committed  the  honourable  task  of  bear 
ing  the  articles  of  the  terms  of  capitulation 
from  the  American  general's  headquarters  to 
the  British  forces.  We  hear  of  him  again, 
fighting  under  his  old  colleague,  General  Sulli 
van,  in  Rhode  Island.  Then,  to  him  was 

1  Portsmouth  distillers  and  merchants  had  just  raised  the  price  of 
rum  to  an  extravagant  figure  in  anticipation  of  the  demands  of  the 
army  for  "  the  essential  concomitant  to  war  in  those  days." 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses    4°9 

assigned  by  Congress  the  congenial  task  of 
supervising  frigate-building,  enlisting  marines, 
and  providing  guns  and  ammunition  for  the 
war-vessels  when  built. 

When  the  war  was  over,  he  was  president  of 
a  State  convention  to  consider  the  vexed  ques 
tion  of  paper  money,  and  again,  a  delegate  to 
the  United  States  Congress  to  deliberate  upon 
certain  points  of  difference  between  that  body 
and  New  Hampshire.  I  have  noted  as  one  of 
the  interesting  coincidences  in  the  history  of 
the  State  that  his  name  was  the  first  signed 
to  the  Federal  Constitution. 

When  the  political  outlook  was  least  promis 
ing,  and  just  before  the  impassioned  upspring- 
ing  of  patriotic  fervor  that  threw  his  worldly 
all  into  the  trembling  scale  of  national  exist 
ence,  he  had  married  Elizabeth  Sherburne, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Moffat  Sherburne. 
Near  the  close  of  the  war  the  Langdon  Man 
sion  in  Pleasant  Street  was  completed,  the 
building  having  been  often  interrupted. 

November,  1789,  Washington,  who  had  been 
inaugurated  as  President  of  the  United  States 
in  April  of  that  year,  wrote  in  his  diary  of  a 
Sunday  spent  in  Portsmouth.  There  had 
been  a  triumphal  reception  of  the  President  on 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


Saturday,  in  which  Colonel  Michael  Went- 
worth,  Lady  Benning  Wentworth's  second 
husband,  was  chief  marshal.  General  John 
Sullivan  was  Governor  of  the  State,  and,  with 
the  marshal  and  ex-Governor  John  Langdon, 
accompanied  Washington  to  "  the  Episcopal 
church  under  the  incumbency  of  Mr.  Ogden, 
and  in  the  afternoon  to  one  of  the  Presbyterian 
or  Congregational  churches,  in  which  a  Mr. 
Buckminster  preached." 

Upon  this  occasion,  the  President  was  at 
tired  in  a  suit  of  black  velvet,  with  diamond 
knee-buckles.  Tobias  Lear,  a  native  of  the 
important  seaport  town,  was  with  his  chief. 

The  Presidential  party  was  entertained  by 
Mr.  Langdon  and  his  wife  in  the  home  we 
visit  in  Pleasant  Street,  a  residence  his  Excel 
lency  was  pleased  to  pronounce  the  "  hand 
somest  in  Portsmouth."  The  toothed  cornices 
of  drawing-room  and  hall,  the  massive  doors 
and  thick  partition-walls  were  the  same  then 
as  we  see  them  now.  There  are  bits  of  Colo 
nial  furniture  in  every  room,  each  having  its 
story.  The  whole  house  is  in  splendid  preserv 
ation,  a  fit  and  enduring  type  of  the  estate  of 
the  man  who  built  and  occupied  it  when  fortune 
and  fame  were  in  their  zenith.  No  citizen 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   411 

liad  deserved  better  of  his  compatriots,  and 
when  he  threw  open  for  the  first  time  the  great 
doors  of  the  Pleasant  Street  mansion,  his  heart 
was  full  of  grateful  appreciation  of  the  manner 
in  which  they  had  tried  to  recompense  him  for 
lavish  expenditure  of  wealth,  for  valour  in  the 
field,  and  wise  counsels  in  the  halls  of  public 
debate.  It  was  his  hour  of  triumph,  glad  and 
full,  the  day  of  prosperity  in  which  none  could 
have  blamed  him  for  thinking,  if  he  had  not 
said  it, — "  I  shall  never  be  moved." 

Those  of  his  blood,  although  not  his  lineal 
descendants,  still  dwell  under  the  stately  roof. 

Of  them  and  of  the  homestead  we  shall 
learn  more  in  the  next  chapter. 


XIV 

THE  LANGDON  AND  WENTWORTH  HOUSES 
IN  PORTSMOUTH,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

(  Concluded) 

OENATOR  MACLAY,  of  Pennsylvaina, 
^  whose  acquaintance  we  made  in  our  chap 
ters  upon  the  Carroll  homesteads,  was  not,  as 
we  know,  an  admirer  of  John  Adams  and  some 
other  dignitaries.  We  have  from  his  caustic 
pen  a  sketch  of  the  dinner  customs  of  the  rich 
and  great  in  the  last  decade  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  are  grateful,  even  though  the 
tendency  of  the  clever  skit  be  to  lower  the 
greatest  man  of  the  country  a  quarter-degree 
in  our  imaginations.  The  scene  was  the 
dining-room  of  the  Presidential  mansion  in 
Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Langdon 
were  among  the  bidden  guests.  It  is  in  their 
company,  therefore,  that  we  witness  what  went 
on  at  the  state  banquet. 

412 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   413 

"  The     room  "-  —  Maclay      complains — "was 
disagreeably  warm." 

Then  we  have  the  menu  : 

"  First  was  soup  ;  fish,  roasted  and  boiled  meats — 
gammon  [that  is,  ham,  probably  Old  Virginia  ham]  fowls, 
^tc.  The  middle  of  the  table  was  garnished  in  the  usual 
tasty  way,  with  small  images,  flowers,  (artificial)  etc. 
The  dessert  was,  first,  apple  pies,  puddings,  etc.  ;  then, 
ice-creams,  jellies,  etc.  ;  then,  water-melons,  musk 
melons,  apples,  peaches,  nuts.  It  was  the  most  solemn 
dinner  ever  I  sat  at.  Not  a  health  drank — scarce  a 
word  said,  until  the  cloth  was  taken  away.  Then,  the 
President,  taking  a  glass  of  wine,  with  great  formality, 
drank  to  the  health  of  every  individual,  by  name, 
around  the  table  (!) 

"  Everybody  imitated  him — changed  glasses  ;  and 
such  a  buzz  of  *  Health,  Sir  ! '  and  '  Health,  Madam!  ' 
and  'Thank  you,  Sir!'  and  'Thank  you,  Madam!' 
never  had  I  heard  before. 

"  Indeed,  I  had  like  to  have  been  thrown  out  in  the 
hurry  ;  but  I  got  a  little  wine  in  my  glass,  and  passed 
the  ceremony.  The  bottles  passed  about,  but  there  was 
a  dead  silence  almost.  Mrs.  Washington  at  last  with 
drew  with  the  ladies.  I  expected  the  men  would  now 
begin,  but  the  same  stillness  remained.  The  President 
told  of  a  New  England  clergyman  who  had  lost  a  hat 
and  wig  in  passing  a  river  called  '  the  Brunks,'  \_quczre, 
the  Bronx  ?]  He  smiled,  and  everybody  else  laughed. 
The  President  kept  a  fork  in  his  hand,  when  the  cloth 
was  taken  away,  I  thought  for  the  purpose  of  picking 
nuts.  He  eat  no  nuts,  but  played  with  the  fork,  striking 
on  the  edge  of  the  table  with  it." 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


This  is  delightful  !  It  is  also  seriously  sug 
gestive  of  facts  which  are  generally  ignored 
when  we  speak  of  Washington's  administration. 
The  hero  ceased  to  be  a  demi-god  in  becom 
ing  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  crude  Republic. 
What  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature  objur 
gated  as  a  "  spirit  of  malignant  abuse,"  walked 
openly  in  the  land,  and  was  especially  rampant 
in  high  places.  To  this  era  belongs  the  anec 
dote  of  John  Adams's  private  ebullition  of 
jealous  contempt  when  the  Father  of  his 
Country  was  nominated  for  a  second  term. 
Chancing  to  be,  as  he  supposed,  alone,  in  a 
room  where  the  most  conspicuous  decoration 
was  a  portrait  of  the  successful  nominee,  Mr. 
Adams  is  said  to  have  walked  up  to  it  and 
shaken  his  fist  in  the  impassive  face  : 

"  Oh  !  you  d  —  d  old  mutton-head  !  If  you 
had  not  kept  your  mouth  so  closely  shut,  they 
would  have  found  you  out  !  " 

The  connection  of  the  profane  story  with 
the  ponderous  festivities  so  well  depicted  by 
Maclay  that  we  yawn  while  we  laugh  is 
obvious. 

John  Langdon,  when  elected  for  the  second 
time  to  the  Senate,  was  honestly  opposed  to 
Washington's  administration,  and  did  not  cloak 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses 


his  hostility.  The  passage  of  the  Jay  treaty 
was  the  signal  for  a  display  of  partisan  fury, 
imperfectly  suppressed  until  the  unpopular 
measure  afforded 
a  pretext  for  the 
eruption. 

This  celebrated 
treaty,  known  by 
the  name  of  the 
then  Minister  to  H 
the  English 
Court,  deter 
mined  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the 
State  of  Maine ; 
awarded  to  the 
United  States 
$10,000,000  as  re 
prisal  for  the  property  of  private  citizens 
captured  unlawfully  by  British  cruisers  ;  and 
certain  Western  forts  occupied  by  British  gar 
risons  were  given  up.  Thus  far  the  advantage 
to  the  United  States  was  unequivocal.  Joined 
to  these  provisions,  however,  were  clauses  ex 
cluding  United  States  vessels  from  the  ports 
of  Canada,  and  restricting  the  lucrative 
West  India  trade.  No  security  against  the 


QOV.   JOHN    LANQDON 

FROM  A  PAINTING  BY  GILBERT  STUART 


More  Colonial  Homesteads 


impressment  of  sailors  was  offered,  and  there 
was  equal  neglect  with  respect  to  such  neutrality 
laws  as  regulated  British  and  French  priva 
teers. 

When  the  Jay  treaty  was  approved  by  the 
Senate  and  signed  by  the  President,  a  wild 
wave  of  excitement  rushed  over  the  country. 
Mass  indignation  meetings  were  held  in  every 
city,  and  angry  mobs  wreaked  their  wrath 
upon  the  property  of  legislators  who  had  for 
warded  the  measure.  John  Langdon  had 
fought  valiantly  against  it  in  the  Senate,  and 
had  an  enthusiastic  ovation  upon  his  return  to 
Portsmouth. 

In  connection  with  this  demonstration  came 
the  first  proof  to  him  of  the  uncertainty  of 
popular  favour.  Other  portions  of  the  State 
saw  things  in  a  different  light  from  that  in 
which  they  appeared  in  the  capital.  The  dis 
senting  Senator  was  hung  in  effigy  in  one  town, 
and  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature 
resolutions  were  passed  affirming  the  confid 
ence  of  that  body  in  "  the  virtue  and  ability 
of  the  minister  who  negotiated  the  Treaty  ; 
the  Senate  who  advised  its  ratification,  and 
the  President,  the  distinguished  friend  and 
Father  of  his  Country." 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   41? 

The  tide  had  turned.  John  Langdon  was 
a  politician  instead  of  a  patriot,  "a  partisan," 
to  quote  Mr.  Corning,  "  whose  hand  was  against 
all  who  did  not  think  and  act  as  he  did.  He 
had  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  political  war 
fare,  and  he  must  abide  the  inevitable  hostility 
of  his  former  friends." 

And  again,  of  him  at  a  later  date  of  the 
troublous  career  upon  which  this  partisanship 
had  cast  him  : 

"  His  ideas  of  civil  service,  as  applied  to 
office-holders,  were  Draconic.  He  is  on  record 
as  declaring  that  he  hoped  to  live  to  see  a 
change  in  men,  from  George  Washington  to 
door-keepers." 

It  is  an  extraordinary  testimony  to  the 
hold  this  opponent  of  Washington  and  ally  of 
Madison  and  Jefferson  had  gained  upon  the 
confidence  of  the  bulk  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
by  his  probity  and  his  personal  gifts,  that  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  for 
two  years  served  as  Speaker  of  the  House. 
Moreover,  he  was  chosen  Governor  in  1802, 
"  receiving  nearly  half  the  entire  vote,"  and 
was  a  successful  candidate  for  the  guberna 
torial  office  three  times  afterward — namely,  in 
1803,  l8°4>  arjd  1805. 


41<s       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

In  iSij,  he  declined  the  nomination  as  can- 
dklate  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  with  Madison 
as  President  upon  the  ticket. 

1  I  am  now  seventy-one  years  of  age,"  he 
wrote,  "  my  faculties  blunted,  and  1  have  lived 
for  I  he  last  lorty  years  of  my  life  in  the  whirl 
pool  ol  politics,  and  am  longing  for  the  sweets 
of  retirement.  .  .  .  To  launch  again  upon 
the  sea  of  polities  at  my  time  of  life  appears 
to  me  highly  improper." 

Less  than  a  month  later  than  the  date  of 
this  simple  and  dignified  letter,  he  put  pen  to 
paper  in  a  very  different  spirit.  lie  had 
always  been  an  ardent  admirer  of  James 
Madison,  yet  a  campaign  libel  declared  that 
he  had  declined  to  run  lor  the  Vice-Presidency 
11  because  of  his  disapproval  of  Madison's 
course."  In  repelling  the  charge,  |ohn  Lang- 
don  affirmed  that  he  considered  his  "great 
and  good  friend.  Mr.  Madison,  one  of  our  great 
est  statesmen,  an  ornament  to  our  Country, 
and  above  all,  the  noblest  work  ol  God,  nu 
honest  wan" 

There  is  sad  acrimony  in  one  of  the  con 
cluding  sentences  of  the  last  public  deliverance 
of  this  other  "  honest  man." 

"As  our  patience  is  worn  out.  and  we  have 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   4T9 

drunk  the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  humiliation,  if 
we  now  act  with  spirit  and  decision,  we  have 
nothing  to  fear." 

Those  who  sigh  sentimentally  for  the  purity 
and  calm  of  those  elder  days  of  our  Republic, 
would  do  well  to  study  the  history  of  the  ad 
ministrations  of  our  first  four  presidents  and 
the  private  correspondence  of  the  men  who 
then  ruled  and  fought,  and  who  suffered  "  the 

o 

stingrs  and  arrows  of  outrageous "  calumnies, 

o  o 

such  as  are  not  peculiar  to  our  times,  or  to 
any  particular  time. 

Our  oft-quoted  travelled  friend,  the  Mar 
quis  de  Chastelleux,  who  seems  to  have  left 
no  notable  nook  or  family  unvisited,  was  mar 
vellously  taken  with  John  Langdon,  whom  he 
met  in  1780  or  1781. 

"  After  dinner,"  he  says,  "we  went  to  drink  tea  with 
Mr.  Langdon.  He  is  a  handsome  man,  and  of  noble 
carriage  ;  he  has  been  a  member  of  Congress,  and  is  now- 
one  of  the  first  people  of  the  Country ;  his  house  is  elegant 
and  well  furnished,  and  the  apartments  admirably  well 
wainscoted  ;  he  has  a  good  manuscript  chart  of  the  har 
bour  of  Portsmouth.  Mrs.  Langdon,  his  wife,  is  young, 
fair,  and  tolerably  handsome,  but  I  conversed  less  with 
her  than  with  her  husband,  in  whose  favour  I  was  preju 
diced  from  knowing  he  had  displayed  great  courage  and 
patriotism  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  expedition.  For, 


420       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

repairing  to  the  Council  Chamber,  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  and  perceiving  that  they  were  about  to  discuss 
some  affairs  of  little  consequence,  he  addressed  them  as 
follows  : 

"  '  Gentlemen,  you  may  talk  as  you  please  ;  but  I  know 
that  the  enemy  is  on  our  frontiers,  and  I  am  going  to 
take  rny  pistols  and  mount  my  horse  to  combat  with  my 
fellow-citizens.' 

"  The  greatest  part  of  the  members  of  the  Council  and 
Assembly  followed  him,  and  joined  General  Gates  at 
Saratoga.  As  he  was  marching  day  and  night,  reposing 
himself  only  in  the  woods,  a  negro  servant  who  attended 
him  said  to  him,  '  Master,  you  are  hurting  yourself  ;  but 
no  matter,  you  are  going  to  fight  for  Liberty.  I  should 
suffer  also  patiently  if  I  had  Liberty  to  defend.'  '  Don't 
let  that  stop  you,'  replied  Mr.  Langdon  ;  *  from  this 
moment  you  are  free.'  The  negro  followed  him,  behaved 
with  courage,  and  has  never  quitted  him. 

"On  leaving  Mr.  Langdon's,  we  went  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Colonel  [Michael]  Wentworth,  who  is  respected  in  this 
country,  not  only  from  his  being  of  the  same  family  as 
Lord  Rockingham,  but  from  his  genuine  acknowledged 
character  for  probity  and  talents." 

We  have  a  last  view  of  Portsmouth's  most 
distinguished  citizen  in  the  diary  of  his  almost 
lifelong  friend,  Governor  Plumer.  The  date 
is  July  23,  1816  : 

"  Visited  L.  He  is  so  literally  broken  down  in  body 
and  mind  that  it  gave  me  pain  to  behold  the  wreck  of 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   421 

human  nature  in  a  man  who  had  been  distinguished  for 
the  elegance  of  his  person  and  the  offices  he  had  held  in 
public  life." 

He  lived  on  thus  for  three  years  longer, 
"  civil,  kind,  and  affectionate,  and  tho'  weak 
in  mind,  yet  not  foolish,"  until  he  passed  away, 
in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
borne  from  his  beautiful  home  in  Pleasant 
Street  to  his  last  resting-place,  amid  the  firing 
of  minute-guns  from  the  navy-yard,  the  display 
of  bunting  at  half-mast  from  public  offices  and 
private  houses,  and  all  the  other  tokens  of 
general  mourning. 

"  Every  mark  of  respect  was  rendered  to 
the  memory  of  the  distinguished  patriot  who 
had  done  so  much  for  the  welfare  of  his  coun 
try  and  the  good  of  his  fellow-citizens." 

The  handsome  homestead  in  Pleasant  Street 
has  sheltered  a  great  companyof  "  honourables  " 
in  its  long  day.  Louis  Philippe  was  Mr.  Lang- 
don's  guest  while  in  America  ;  Washington 
and  his  aids,  Lafayette,  de  Chastelleux,  and 
every  other  foreigner  of  distinction  who  took 
Portsmouth  en  route  in  his  tour,  broke  bread 
with  the  hospitable  owner,  and  was  ministered 
to  by  his  amiable  and  accomplished  wife. 
After  Mr.  Langdon's  death  it  was  for  many 


422       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

years  the  residence  of  that  kindly  despot,  the 
Reverend  Charles  Burroughs,  D.D.,who  u  ruled 
like  a  king  the  little  literary  circle  in  Ports 
mouth  of  which  he  was  undisputed  head." 

Ever  since  the  death  of  Dr.  Burroughs's 
widow,  the  house  has  been  the  property  of 
Woodbury  Langdon,  Esq.  of  New  York  City. 
As  he  has  another  country  seat  near  Ports 
mouth  where  he  prefers  to  reside,  the  home 
stead  is  presided  over  by  his  sister  and  brother, 
whose  patient  courtesy  to  curious  and  senti 
mental  visitors  is  proverbial. 

The  Reverend  Dr.  Alfred  Elwyn  of  Phila 
delphia,  whose  summer  home  is  just  outside  of 
Portsmouth,  is  a  great-grandson  of  John  Lang 
don,  his  grandmother  having  been  the  only 
child  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Sherburne  Lang 
don,  who  married  Thomas  Elwyn,  Esq.,  of 
Canterbury,  England.  A  daughter  of  Dr. 
Elwyn  is  the  wife  of  Woodbury  Langdon, 
Esq.,  mentioned  above. 

Dr.  Burroughs  was  Rector  of  St.  John's 
Church,  one  of  the  most  important  features  of 
a  city  which  is  as  redolent  of  ancient  story  as 
of  the  sweet  salt  waves  that  bathe  her  feet 
and  send  coolness,  health,  and  strength  through 
her  streets. 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   425 

For  St.  John's  Chapel — where  it  may  still 
be  seen — was  bought  by  Dr.  Burroughs,  in 
1836,  the  "first  organ  that  ever  pealed  to  the 
glory  of  God  in  this  country." 

It  was  imported  in  1713  by  Mr.  Brattle  of 
Boston,  who  left  it  in  his  will  to  the  well- 
known  old  Brattle  Street  Church,  provided 
"they  shall  accept  thereof,  and  within  a  year 
after  my  decease,  procure  a  sober  person  that 
can  play  skillfully  thereon  with  a  loud  noise." 

No  skill  could  draw  out  the  loud  noise 
now,  but  the  notes  coaxed  forth  by  our  re 
spectful  fingers  are,  even  yet,  tuneful,  justifying 
the  original  owner's  pride  and  Dr.  Burroughs's 
purchase. 

Yet,  as  we  walk  over  to  Queen's  Chapel  to 
see  the  relic,  we  are  amused  by  the  story  that 
the  "o'er-pious  "  Brattle  Street  people  left  the 
legacy  boxed  up  for  eight  months  before  the 
more  progressive  could  overcome  the  prejudice 
against  the  use  of  "an  ungodly  chest  of 
whistles"  in  the  Meeting  House. 

The  Reverend  Dr.  Hovey,  the  present  rec 
tor  of  St.  John's,  is  an  indefatigable  and  most 
intelligent  archaeologist  and  antiquarian,  and 
within  a  few  years,  valuable  discoveries  have 
been  made  in  the  venerable  building  and 


426       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

adjoining  grounds.  Not  the  least  interesting 
of  these  is  a  set  of  mural  tablets  recording 
several  donations  to  church  and  parish.  One 
which  instantly  seizes  upon  our  attention  is  a 
bequest  from  Colonel  Theodore  Atkinson,  in 
1754,  of  a  valuable  tract  of  land  upon  which 
tombs,  vaults,  and  monuments  may  be  erected. 
He  also  bequeathed  ^200,  the  interest  to 
be  used  in  the  purchase  of  bread  for  the  poor 
of  the  church,  the  distribution  to  take  place 
each  Sunday.  The  custom  is  still  kept  up. 

Another  discovery  made  this  year  is  of  a 
subterranean  passage  leading  to  the  church 
yard  from  the  basement  of  the  church. 

In  St.  John's  churchyard  sleep  the  fathers 
of  what  was  but  a  seaside  hamlet  when  they 
helped  to  make  it.  The  Wentworth  vault 
holds  Benningf  Wentworth  and  his  brother 

o 

Michael,  with  the  woman  whom  both  had  to 
wife.  The  last  Royal  Governor,  the  rollick 
ing  John  of  our  liking,  was  buried  in  Nova 
Scotia,  severed  from  home  and  kindred  in 
death  as  in  life  by  loyalty  to  the  King  to  whom 
he  owed  his  preferment.  The  Reverend 
Arthur  Brown  is  here,  and  Colonel  Atkinson, 
who  would  have  had  no  place  in  the  Annals  of 
Portsmouth  but  for  his  complaisance  in  making 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   427 


way  for  the  former  lover  of  his  easily  consoled 
relict. 

The  American  branch  of  the  Langdon  family 
has  been,  for  over  a  hundred  years,  nobly  re 
presented  by  Woodbury 
Langdon — the  brother 
of  John — and  his  de 
scendants.  He  was  the 
junior  of  John  by  two 
years,  having  been  born 
in  1 738.  He  married  at 
twenty-seven — -twelve 
years  before  his  brother 
entered  upon  the  holy 
e  s  t  a  t  e — S  a  r  a  h ,  the 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Warner  Sher- 
burne.  Ten  children  were  the  fruit  of  this 
union  : 

(i)  Henry  Sherburne,  who  married  Ann 
Eustis,  a  sister  of  Governor  William  Eustis. 
(2)  Sarah  Sherburne,  married  to  Robert 
Harris.  (3)  Mary  Ann,  died,  unmarried. 
(4)  Woodbury,  died,  unmarried.  (5)  John, 
married  to  Charlotte  Ladd.  (6)  Caroline, 
married  to  William  Eustis,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Sur 
geon  in  the  Revolutionary  War ;  Member  of 
Congress,  1801-1805  and  1820-1823  ;  Secretary 


SHERBURNE  COAT-OF-ARMS 


428       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

of  War,  1807-1813  ;  Minister  to  Holland,  1814- 
1818  ;  Governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1823.  (7) 
Joshua,  died,  single.  (8)  Harriet,  died,  single. 
(9)  Catherine  Whipple,  married  Edmund 
Roberts.  (10)  Walter,  married  Dorothea, 
daughter  of  John  Jacob  Astor. 

Woodbury  Langdon  was  a  man  of  singular 
personal  beauty,  and  exquisite  charm  of  man 
ner,  a  family  characteristic,  and  hereditary.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
1 779-1  780  ;  Counsellor  of  State  of  New  Hamp 
shire,  1781-1784;  President  of  New  Hampshire 
Senate,  1784;  Judge  of  Supreme  Court  of 
New  Hampshire,  1782-1791. 

His  wealth  and  taste  enabled  him  to  erect 
for  his  private  residence  the  building  which 
has  been  converted  into  the  palatial  Rocking- 
ham  Hotel.  The  mansion  cost  Judge  Lang 
don  $30,000,  and  was  built  with  bricks  brought 
from  England.  It  was  supposed  to  be  fire 
proof,  and  far  surpassed  in  dimensions,  decora 
tions,  and  general  architectural  beauty  any- 
other  house  in  New  Hampshire — or  indeed  in 
New  England.  It  was  finished  in  1785  and 
kept  up  in  superb  style  during  Judge  Lang- 
don's  lifetime.  After  his  death  and  the  mar 
riage  and  dispersion  of  the  large  family  that 


WOODBURY  LANQDON,  1775 

FROM  A  PAINTING  BY  JOHN  SINGLETON  COPLEY 


429 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   431 

had  filled  it,  his  sons  sold  it  (in  1 8 10)  toThomas 
Elwyn,  Esq.,  the  husband  of  Elizabeth  Lang 
don,  the  only  child  of  Governor  John  Langdon. 
In  1830,  it  passed  out  of  the  family  and  since 
then  has  been  used  as  a  hotel.  In  1884,  a  fire 
damaged  the  building  greatly,  but  spared  the 
fine  wainscots  and  the  magnificent  octagonal 

o  o 

dining-room,  the  marvel  of  ancient  Portsmouth 
and  the  pride  of  the  modern  city.  It  is  still 
the  study  of  architects  from  near  and  from  far  ; 
and  an  enduring  memorial  to  the  intelligence 
and  refinement  of  the  first  proprietor. 

The  portrait  of  Judge  Woodbury  Lang 
don  has  a  distinguished  place  in  the  State 
House  at  Concord,  the  present  capital  of 
New  Hampshire. 

The  name  of  Edmund  Roberts  who  married 
Judge  Langdon's  youngest  daughter  is  insep 
arably  associated  with  our  earliest  diplomatic 
relations  with  the  Far  East.  Born  in  Ports 
mouth  in  1784,  he  was  offered  an  appoint 
ment  as  midshipman  in  the  United  States 
Navy  at  thirteen,  but  preferred  a  place  in  the 
merchant  service,  dividing  his  time  between 
England  and  South  America  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  old.  He  amassed  a  large 
fortune  and  became  a  heavy  ship-owner  before 


432       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

he  utilised,  in  diplomatic  life,  the  results  of  his 
wide  observation  and  deep  thought  respecting 
our  foreign  commercial  relations.  He  was 
sent  upon  a  special  embassy  by  the  Govern 
ment  to  make  treaties  with  Muscat,  Siam,  and 
Cochin  China  in  1830,  and  again  in  1835,  u  to 
visit  Japan  with  like  purpose,"  but  died  at 
Macao  before  the  work  was  fully  accomplished. 
A  posthumous  volume  under  the  caption  of 
Embassy  to  Eastern  Courts,  details  his  successes 
during  a  voyage  of  twenty-six  months. 

A  memorial  window  of  exquisite  design  and 
execution  in  St.  John's  Church,  Portsmouth, 
was  presented  to  the  parish  by  Mrs.  J.  V.  L. 
Pruyn  in  honour  of  her  grandfather,  the  first 
American  diplomatist  in  Asia,  whose  unfinished 
work  was  consummated  many  years  later  by 
Matthew  Perry  and  Townsend  Harris. 

One  of  his  surviving  daughters  married  the 
Reverend  A.  P.  Peabody,  D.D.,  of  Harvard 
University;  another,  Harriet  Langdon,  be 
came  the  wife  of  the  Honorable  Amasa  Junius 
Parker  of  Albany. 

The  marriage  ceremony  of  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Parker  was  performed  by  Rev.  Dr.  Burroughs, 
who  had  also  baptised  the  bride.  The  first 
ten  years  of  their  married  life  were  spent  in 


WINDOW  TO  EDMUND  AND  CATHERINE   LANQDON   ROBERTS  IN 
ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH 


28 


433 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   435 

Delhi,  New  York.  In  rapid  succession  Mr. 
Parker  was  chosen  a  Regent  of  the  University 
of  New  York,  made  Vice-Chancellor  and  a 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  Member  of  Con 
gress,  1838-9  ;  then,  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Albany  Law  School,  and  for  twenty  years 
one  of  the  professors.  His  contributions  to 
the  legal  literature  of  the  United  States  were 
important. 

In  1884,  Judge  and  Mrs.  Parker  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  at  the  "  The  Cliffs,"  the 
Newport  home  of  their  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  V. 
L.  Pruyn.  There  were  then  living  of  the 
ten  children  born  to  the  honoured  parents  :— 
Mrs.  Pruyn,  General  Amasa  Junius  Parker,  Jr., 
Mrs.  Erastus  Corning,  and  Mrs.  Selden  E. 
Marvin.  The  fine  "  Holiday  Window  "  in  St. 
John's  Church,  Portsmouth,  to  the  memory  of 
Edmund  Roberts  and  his  wife  was  erected  by 
Mrs.  Pruyn  in  honour  of  the  golden  wedding. 
The  figures  therein  depicted  are  those  of  St. 
Edmund  and  St.  Catherine,  with  their  legends. 
The  harmonious  family  group  assembled  upon 
the  memorable  occasion  I  have  chronicled,  was 
broken  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Parker,  June  28, 


436       More  Colonial  Homesteads 

The  Albany  Argus,  in  a  biographical  sketch 
of  one  who  was,  for  forty  years,  a  ruling  in 
fluence  in  Albany  society,  says  : 

"Mrs.  Parker  had  strong  religious  convictions  and 
high  ideals,  and  was  possessed  of  great  force  of  char 
acter  and  the  many  graces  and  charms  that  are  em 
bodied  in  the  character  of  a  good  woman.  She  was  a 
woman,  also,  of  extraordinary  unselfishness  and  always 
solicitous  of  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  others." 

How  far  the  eulogium  understates  the  sterl 
ing  qualities  and  exceeding  lovableness  of  the 
subject,  those  who  were  admitted  to  her  home 
and  a  place  in  the  true,  tender  heart,  can  best 
say. 

Judge  Parker  died  May  13,  1890,  and  Mrs. 
Erastus  Corning  very  suddenly  at  Easter-tide, 
1899.  To  the  rare,  fine  spirit  whose  life  was  a 
continual  benediction  to  church,  community, 
and  home,  the  translation,  upon  the  dearest 
and  most  joyful  of  Christian  festivals,  was  a 
beautiful  passing  over,  not  a  passing  out. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  New-World 
lines  of  the  Langdon  race,  the  believer  in 
hereditary  influences  in  shaping  and  colouring 
human  destiny  finds  abundant  confirmation  of 
what  is  no  more  theory,  but  a  science  which  is 
not  far  from  exactness. 


MRS.  WOODBURY   LANQDON 

FROM  A  PAINTING  BY  JOHN  SINGLETON  COPLEY 


437 


Langdon  and  Wentworth  Houses   439 

In  addition  to  the  pure  strong  flood  poured 
"by  Woodbury  Langdon  into  the  minds  and 
souls  of  his  descendants,  Judge  Parker's  child 
ren  have  drawn  high  principles  and  fine  mental 
traits  from  their  mother's  forbears, — Governor 
Thomas  Dudley  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony  ;  Governor  Theophilus  Eaton  of  the 
New  Haven  Colony,  and  Lieutenant-Governor 
Gibbins  of  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire  ; 
.also,  from  Henry  Sherburne  of  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  a  Judge  and  a  member  of 
His  Majesty's  Privy  Council,  and  a  delegate  to 
the  famous  Congress  held  in  Albany  in  1754. 


INDEX 


Adams,  John,  249,  256,  264,  271, 
412,  414 

Aken,  Miss,  52 

Albany,  14,  17,  20,  187 

Anderson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  San 
ders,  175 

Anderson,  William,  175 

Andre,  Major  John,  2,  76 

Anne,  Queen,  2 

Arnold,  Benedict,  2,  361 

Atkinson,  Colonel  Theodore, 
396,  402,  426 

Ayers,  Dr.,  143 


B 


Baker,  Louisa,  234,  240-242 

Baker,  Mr.,  235 

Ball,  Mrs.  Julia,  80 

Ball,  Mary,  98 

Balls,  The,  98 

Banning,    Mrs.    Henry    Geddes, 

331-333,  339,  342,  343 
Barrett,  Dr.,  291 
Barren,  Commodore,  267 
Bassett,  Richard,  357 
Bayard,    Hon.  Thomas  F.,  297, 

304,  307,  308,  362 
Bayard,  Samuel  J.,  139 
Beekman,     Catherine     Sanders, 

175 
Beekman,  Girard,  175 


Beekman,  John  Jacob,  175 
Beekman,  Mrs.  Maria  Glen,  175 
Belmont  Hall,  347,  348,  360,  361,. 

363,  3"7,  369,  370,  377 
Belvedere,  264,  269 
Beverwyck,  155,  157 
Blennerhassett,  88,  89 
Bonaparte,  Elizabeth  Patterson,. 

264,  267 

Bonaparte,  Jerome,  264 
Bond,  Dr.  Thomas,  300 
Botetourt,  Lord,  74 
Boudinot,    Elias,  105,    106,  117,. 

130 

Bradford,  The  Misses,  327 
Brant,  Joseph,  24,  25,  42,  45,  47,. 

49,  55 
Brant,    Molly,    24-29,     47,    58,. 

63 

Brant,  Nickus,  24 
Brattle,  Mr.,  425 
Brent,  Robert,  229 
Brooke,  Clement,  225 
Brooke,  Elizabeth,  228 
Brooklandwood,  263 
Brown,  (Rev.)  Arthur,  382,  397,. 

398,  426 

Brown,  Mrs.  W.  R.,  148 
Burgoyne,    General,    216,     221,. 

406,  408 

Burr,  Aaron,  84,  88,  89,  264 
Burroughs,  (Rev.)  Charles,   422,, 

425,  432 
Butler,  (Colonel)  John,  42,  60 


441 


442 


Index 


Butler,  Walter,  20,  42,  50,  181 
Butler's  Ford,  50 
Butler's  Homestead,  51 
Butlers,  The,  66,  72 
Byrd,  Mrs.  Charles  Willing,  93 
Byrd,  William  Evelyn,  86 
Byrd,  William  (III.),  66 
Byrds,  The,  66,  72 

C 

Caldwell,  James,  52 

Calvert,  Charles,  Lord  Balti 
more,  226,  227,  233,  279,  290 

Canajoharie,  24,  156 

Carroll,  Catherine,  253,  256,  257 

Carroll,  Charles  (I.),  225,  227, 
228,  277 

Carroll,  Charles  of  Annapolis, 
224-228,  230,  235,  237,  252, 
253,  280 

Carroll,  Charles  of  Carrollton, 
219,  224,  225,  227,  228,  236, 
242,  243,  245,  246,  249-251, 
256-258,  261-265,  267-273, 
278,280,  283 

Carroll,  Charles  of  Homewood, 
22Q,  234,  253,  254,  258,  261, 
262,  270,  280,  283 

Carroll,  Charles  (V.),    264,  267, 

275 

Carroll,  Charles  (VI.),  275,  277 
Carroll,  Charles  (VII.),  276 
Carroll,  Daniel,  228,  254,  257 
Carroll,  Elizabeth  Brooke,   237, 

238 

Carroll,  Henry,  227,  228 
Carroll,  James,  228 
Carroll,  John,  229 
Carroll,    (Governor)    John    Lee, 

275-277 

Carroll,  Madame  Mary,  228 
Carroll,  Mary,  253,  255,  256 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Anita  Phelps,  275 
Carroll,    Mrs.   Caroline  Thomp 
son,  275 

Carroll,  Mrs.  Charles  (Sr.),  253 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Charles  (Jr.),  253 


Carroll,  Mrs.  Charles  (VI.),   275 
Carroll,  Mrs.  John  Lee,  275 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Marion   Langdon, 

276 
Carroll,      Mrs.       Mary      Carter 

Thompson,  275 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Mary  Digges  Lee, 

275,  277 
Carroll,  Mrs.  Susanne  Bancroft, 

276 

Carroll,  Philip  Acosta,  276 
Carroll,  Royal  Phelps,  276 
Caton,  Betsey,  266 
Caton,  Emily,  266 
Caton,  Louise,  267 
Caton,  Mary,  267 
Caton,    Mrs.    Mary,    263,     266, 

267 

Caton,  Richard,  255 
Caughnawaga,  4,  57 
Chase,  Mr.  Samuel,  249 
Chastelleux,  Marquis  de,  65,  151, 

419,  421 
Chaumiere    du    Prairie,   77,    78, 

80,  84,  87,  88,  90,  91,  95,  96 
Cherokees,  The,  7 
Cherry  Valley,  50 
Chew,  Chief-Justice     Benjamin, 

286,  301,  302,  340 
Chew,  Harriet,  262,  263,  283 
Chew,  "  Peggy,"  262,  264 
Chew,  Samuel,  286 
Chew,  The  Misses,  301 
Chew  House,  The,  286 
Clark,  Hon.  John,  363 
Claus,  (Colonel)    Daniel,  12,  47, 

58,  60,  73,  179,  180 
Claus,  Nancy,  29 
Clay,  Henry,  88 
Clayton,  John  Middleton,  286 
Clinton,  vSir  Henry,  2,19,  21,  22, 

30,  76,  197,  204 
Cliveden,  262,  286 
Cloke,  Ebenezer,  363,  364,  368 
Cloke,  John,  348,  360,  363 
Cloke,  Mrs.  John,  370 
Collins,  Dr.  William,  348,  363 


Index 


443 


Collins,  (Governor)  Thomas,  347 

-350,   353,   357,  358,  361-363, 

369 

•Collins,  Mrs.  Thomas,  368 
Comegys,  Hon.  Joseph  P.,  286 
Constitution  Hill,  108 
Cook,  Elizabeth,  363,   364,  367, 

368 
Cook,     (Governor)    John,     346, 

347,  358,  369 

Cooke,  Rachel,  240,  242,  243 
Cooke,  William,  263 
Cookham,  98,  99 
Coolidge,  T.  Jefferson,  402 
Corning,  Charles  R.,  405,  417 
Corning,     Mrs.      Erastus,     435, 

436 
Cornwallis,  Lord,  120,  133,  151, 

153 

Covenhoven,  Mr.  John,  120,  121 
Creighton,  Judge,  89 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  68 
Cromwell,  Thomas,  67,  68 
Crown   Point,    17,    20,    73,   204, 

38i 

Cummins,  George  W.,  374 
Custis,  Nelly,  262 
Cuthbert,  Alexander,  136 
Cuthbert,  Susan  Stockton,  136 

D 

Dame,  Rev.  G.  W.,  364,  367 
Darnall,  Henry,  225 
Darnall,  Mary,  225,  243-245 
Darnall,  Miss,  255 
Darnall,  Mrs.,  252,  253,  283 
Dartmouth,  The  Earl  of,  39 
Dartmouth  College,  25,  31,  391 
Decatur,    Commodore    Stephen, 

142,  267 

Decatur,  Mrs.,  267 
De  Graff,  176 
Delancey,  James,  2 
Delanceys,  The,  28,  197 
Denny,  Mrs.  Anne,  374,  375 
Dod,  Mrs.  W.  A.,  148 
Doughoregan  Chapel,  253 


Doughoregan  Manor,  227,  230, 
246,  253,  258,  261,  267,  268, 
274-277 

Dover  (Del.),  285,  286,  301,  315 
Dow,  Lorenzo,  325,  326 
Dudley,     (Governor)      Thomas, 

439 
Dupont,  Mr.,  316,  319,  320 


Eaton,    (Governor)   Theophilus, 

439 

Eden  Hill,  289,  294 
Edwards,  Mrs.,  59,  60 
Elwyn,  (Dr.)  Alfred,  422 
Elwyn,  Thomas,  422,  431 
Eustis,  Mrs.  Caroline   Langdon, 

427 

Eustis,  William,  427 
Everard,  Sir  Richard,  69 
Everett,  Edward,  90 


Fenton,  Colonel,  394,  395 
Field,  Mrs.  Abigail,  in,  136 
Field,  Robert,  136 
Five  Nations,  The,  22 
Fonda,  57 

Franklin,  (Dr.)  Benjamin,  251 
Frederic,  Harold,  28 
Frelinghausen,  Dominie,  208 
Fulton,  Robert,  183 


Gage,  General,  73 

Gates,  (General)  Horatio,  420 

Gibbins,     Lieutenant-Governor, 

439 

Glen,  Alexander  Lindsay  ("  San 
der  Leendertse "),  156-160, 
162 

Glen,  Alexander  (II.),  170 

Glen,  (Captain)  Alexander,  160, 
1 66 

Glen,  Catherine  Dongan,  159 


444 


Index 


Glen,   Deborah,    171,    173,    174, 

186 

Glen,  Jacob,  170,  171,  215 
Glen,  Jacob  Alexander  (I.),  160 
Glen,  Jacob  Alexander  (II.), 

170 

Glen,  John  (II.)  170,  174,  175 
Glen,  (fudge)  Elias,  170 
Glen,   (Judge)  John  (III.),  170, 

174 

Glen,   (Major)  John  Alexander, 

160,  162-166,  169,  170, 174 
Glen,  Mrs.  Anna  Peek,  160,  162, 

164,  1 66 

Glen,  Sarah,  175 
Gordon,  Lord  Adam,  29,  113 
Grange,   Anita  Maria,    Baronne 

de  la,  276 

Grange,  Louis,  Baron  de  la,  276 
Grant,    Mrs.    Anne    ("of    Lag- 

gan  "),   27,  187,  188,  195-197, 

212-215,  220 
Griffis,  William  Elliot,  63,  64 


H 


Hageman,  John  Frelinghuysen, 

128, .140,  143 
Hale,  Major,  386 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  219,  220, 

257 

Hampton,  263 
Harper,  (General)  Robert  Good- 

loe,  257,  258,  270 
Harper,  Mrs.  Mary,  266,  267 
Harris,  Robert,  427 
Harris,  Sarah  Sherburne,  427 
Harris,  Townsend,  432 
Harrow  School,  69,  70 
Haslet,  (Colonel)  John,  287 
Herkimer,  County  of,   156 
Herkimer,  General,  60 
Hervey,     (Colonel)    Sir    Felton 

Bathurst,  267 
Hervey,  Mrs.,  272 
Hillhouse,     (General)    Thomas, 

56 


Hillhouse,     Miss   Margaret     P., 

iii 
Hilton,   Martha,   382,   385,  402, 

405 

Holmes,  Mrs.,  322 
"  Homestead,  The,"  263 
Homewood,  263,  264,  270,  280 
Hopkins,  Mrs.,  148 
Hovey,  Rev.  Dr.,  425 
Howard,  (Colonel)  John  Eager, 

263,  264,  269,  270 
Howe,  (General)  Sir  William,  2, 

122 

Howe,  Lord,  206,  207 
Howell,  Mrs.  Admiral,  148 
Howell,  Mrs.  F.  D.,  148 
Hunter,    Mrs.    Mary    Stockton, 

136 
Hunter,  Rev.  Dr.,  136 


Ilchester,  The  Earl  of,  28 
Ingles,  (Rev.)  Charles,  302 
Iroquois,  The,  5,  19 
Irving,  Washington,  360,  375 

J 

Jackson,  (General)  Andrew,    84, 

145 

James  River,  The,  65,  66 
Jay.  John,  251,  415,  416 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  264,  268V 

271,  332 
Johnson,   Ann  ("Nancy"),    12,. 

47,  57,  58,  180 

Johnson,  (Captain)  Warren,  19 
Johnson  Castle,  8 
Johnson,  Christopher,  I 
Johnson,  Fort,  14 
Johnson,   Guy,    12,    39,    42,   45, 

47,  58,  60 
Johnson   Hall,   6,   8,  13,  14,    17, 

18,   20,  28,  32,  35,  36,  45-49* 

5i,  52,  63,  73,  113 
Johnson,  Lady,  46 
Johnson,  Mary,  12,  29,  57,  58 


Index 


445 


Johnson,  Mrs.,  12,  14,  57 
Johnson,  Sir  Adam  Gordon,  51 
Johnson,  Sir  John,    12,    29,   32, 

38,  39,  42,  45,  46,  48,  49,  51, 

55,  60,  181 
Johnson,  Sir  William,  I,  3-7,  9, 

10,  13,  17,  19,20,  22-24,  27-30, 

35-37,  40,  41,  47,    5i,    55-57, 

59,  60,  63,  73,  113,   179,  192, 

204 

Johnson,  William,  25,  47 
Johnstown,  37,  57,  63 
Johnstown,  Episcopal  Church  of, 

45,  60,  64 
Jones,  John  Paul,  380 


•Kellogg,  (Rev.)  Charles  H.,  63 
Kemp,  Deborah,  166 
Kergolay,  Jean,  Comte  de,  275 
'Kergolay,   Marie  Louise,    Com- 
tesse  de,  275 


Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  46,  139, 
151,  268,  269,  333,  337,  340, 
421 

Lake  George,  25,  31 

Langdon,  Harriet,  428 

Langdon,  Henry  Sherburne,  427 

Langdon,  John,  382,  385,  386, 
389,  390,  392-395,  405,  407, 
408,  410,  414,  416-422,  427, 

431 

Langdon,  John  (II.),  427 
Langdon,  Joshua,  428 
Langdon,  Mary  Anne,  427 
Langdon,  Mrs.  Ann  Eustis,  427 
Langdon,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Ladd, 

427 
Langdon,  Mrs.  Dorothea  Astor, 

428 
Langdon,   Mrs.   John,  410,  412, 

419 

Langdon,  Walter,  428 
Langdon,  Woodbury   (I.),    422, 

427,  428,  431,  439 


Langdon,  Woodbury  (II.),  427 
Langdon,  Woodbury  (III.),  422 
Langdons,  The,  386 
Latham,  Mary,  69 
Lear,  Eve,  367,  368 
Lear,  Tobias,  367,  410 
Lebanon,  31 
Lee,  (Colonel)  Charles,  205,  206, 

208,  214 

Lee,  Richard  Henry,  305 
Leeds,  Duke  of,  272 
Letcher,  Mrs.  Anna  Meade,  89, 

90,  93 

Lossing,  Benson  J.,  52,  57 
Louis  Philippe,  184,  337,  421 

M 

Maclay,  William,  256,  412-414 
Madison,  James,  268,  418 
Malpas,  Barony  of,  100 
Malpas,  Church  of,  100 
Malpas,  Parish  of,  101 
Marvin,  Mrs.  Selden  E.,  435 
Massie,  Elizabeth,  89 
Maycox,  65,  66,  74,  75,  79 
McGill,    Mrs.    Chancellor,    in, 

124,  136 
McKean,  Thomas,  305-307,  311, 

357,  369 
McTavish,     Mrs.     Emily,     272, 

279 

Meade,  Andrew,  68 
Meade,  David  (I.),  69 
Meade,   David  (II.),  65-67,  69- 

7i,   73-75,   77,  79,  §4-9°,  93~ 

95 

Meade,  David  (III.),  77,  88,  93 
Meade,  Elizabeth,  89 
Meade,  Everard,  72 
Meade,  Mrs.  David,  83,  84 
Meade,  Richard  Kidder,  70-72, 

76 

Meades,  The,   67,  68,  83,  85,  96 
Meredith.  Jonathan,  258 
Miller,  Betsey,  94,  95 
Mohawk  River,  2 
Mohawk,  Valley  of,  I 


446 


Index 


Mohawks,   Tribe  of,    5,   18,  19, 

I55.  J56,  158,  163 
Moor  Charity  School,  25,  42 
Moore,  Lady,  214,  216 
Moore,  Sir  Henry,  214,  216 
Morven,  no,  113,  114,  117,  119, 

120,   123,   124,    126,    128-130, 

139,  140,  142, 147,148, 151, 152 
Mott,    Lucretia,    315,   316,  319, 

320 

N 

Nassau  Hall,  130 
Newcastle,  Duke  of,  19 
North,  Lord,  138 


O'Brian,  Lady  Susan,  28 
O'Brians,  The,  29 
Oriskany,  48 
Ossian's  Poems,  109 
Oswego,  19 


Parker,  (General)  Amasa  Junius, 

435 
Parker,   (Hon.)   Amasa    Junius, 

432,  435,  436,  439 
Parker,  Mrs.  Harriet   Langdon, 

432,  435,  436 

Parkman,  Francis,  8,  n,  41 
Patterson,  Mrs.  Robert,  272 
Paulus,  24 

Peabody,  (Rev.)  A.  P.,  432 
Peale,  Charles  Wilson,  246 
Peale,  Rembrandt,  261 
Penn,  William,  40,  102,  285 
Perry,  Matthew,  432 
Peterson,  J.  Howard,  348 
Phillips,  Abigail,  104 
Phillipses,  The,  28 
Pintard,  Captain,  105,  153 
Pintard,  Louis,  105,  153 
Pise,  (Rev.)  Constantine,  274 
Pitman,  Molly,  402,  405 
Plumer,  Governor,  420 
Pontiac,  Conspiracy  of,   n 


Poplar  Grove,  322 
Portsmouth  (N.  H.).  381 
Potter,  John,  148 
Powis,  Lord,  226 
Princeton,  Battle  of,  122 
Princeton,  History  of,  128 
Princeton,   The,  145 
Pruyn,    Mrs.  J.  V.   L.,  ii,    189, 
432,  435 

R 

Randolph,    Richard,   of  Curies,. 

72 

Randolphs,  The,  73 
Ranken,  Mary  Wallace,  261 
Read,  George,  305,  357 
Rensselaer,  Maria,  191 
Ridgely,  Ann  Moore,  290 
Ridgely,  (Dr.)  Charles,  290 
Ridgely,  Henry  (I.),  288 
Ridgely,  Henry  (II.),  289 
Ridgely,  Henry  (III.),  289 
Ridgely,  Henry  (V.),  294 
Ridgely,  Henry  (VI.),  294,  322 
Ridgely,  Henry  Moore,  290-292,. 

293,  316,  319,  320 
Ridgely,  Miss  316,  320 
Ridgely,  Mrs.  Dr.  Charles,  338,. 

342 
Ridgely,  Mrs.  Henry  (Jr.),    287, 

321 

Ridgely,  MSS.,  285,  287,  307 
Ridgely,    (Judge)  Nicholas  (L), 

289,  296,  297,  321,  331,  332 
Ridgely,  Nicholas  (II.),  290 
Robbins,  Herbert  D.,  276 
Robbins,  Mrs.  Mary  Helen,  276 
Roberts,  (Hon.)    Edmund.    428, 

431,  435 

Roberts,  Mrs.  Catherine  Whip- 
pie,  428,  435^ 

Rochambeau,  Count  of,  65,  151 

Rodney,  Caesar  (I.),  297 

Rodney,  Caesar  (II.),  287,  290, 
297-299,  302-307,  311-313, 
321,  331-333,  337,  346,  358, 
362,  369,  3?6 


Index 


447 


Rodney,  Caesar  Augustus,  344 
Rodney,  Thomas,  297,  332 
Rodney,  William  (I.),  297 
Rodney,  William  (II.),  297 
Rowland,  Kate  Mason,  225,  230, 

236,  241,  251 
Rowland,  Sarah,  307 
Rush,  (Dr.)  Benjamin,    114,  136 
Rush,  Mrs.  Julia  Stockton,  114, 

136 

S 
Sanders,  Albertine  Ten  Broeck, 

175 

Sanders,  Anna  Lee,  176 
Sanders,  Barent,  175 
Sanders,  Charles  P.  (I.),  175 
Sanders     Charles   P.   (II.),   176, 

178,  182 

Sanders,  Deborah,  175 
Sanders,  Jacob  Glen  (I.),  175 
Sanders,  Jacob  Glen  (II.),  175 
Sanders,  John  (I.),  171,  172,  174 
Sanders,     John    (II.),     175-177. 

183 

Sanders,  John  (III.),  175,  183 
Sanders,  Mrs.  Jacob  Glen,    173 
Sanders,  Peter,  175,  176 
Sanders,  Robert,  175 
Saratoga,  32 

Schenectady,  31,  155,  156,  158 
Schuyler,  Catalina,   191 
Schuyler,  Catherine  Van  Rensse- 

laer,  219 

Schuyler,  Elizabeth,  219 
Schuyler,  George  W.,  197,  213 
Schuyler,    Johannes,    191,     192, 

195,  214 
Schuyler,       "Madame"       Mar- 

garitta,  190-192,  195,  201-203, 

205-208,  212-216 
Schuyler,  Margaritta  (I.),  191 
Schuyler,     "Margaritta,"  (III.), 

222 

Schuyler,  Pedrom,  207 
Schuyler,      Peter    ("  Quidor  "), 
191,  197 


Schuyler,  Peter  (II.),  191 
Schuyler,   (Colonel)   Philip,  191, 

195,  196,  198,  203,  205 
Schuyler,    (General)   Philip,   46, 

197,  214,  216,  219-222 
Schuyler,  Mrs.  Philip,  221 
Schuyler,  Richard,  213 
Scotia,  158,   159,    162,  164,  169- 

171,  174,  175,  181,  186 
Scott,  Robert  G.,  269 
Sherburne,  Elizabeth,  409 
Sherburne,  Henry,  439 
Sherburne,  John,  409 
Sherburne,  Mary  Moffat,  409 
Shields,  Rev.  Dr.,  151 
Shields,  Mr.,  291 
Shortridge,   Richard,  402,  405 
Six  Nations,  The,  30,  35,  46 
Smith,  (Captain)  John,  5,  380 
Smith,  (Hon.)  Horace  E.,  64 
Smith,  Samuel  Stanhope,  126 
Sparks,  Jared,  25 
Speakman,   Mrs.   Peterson,  358, 

363,  378 

Starke,  (General)  John,  381,  408 
Stockbridge,  31 
Stockton,  Abigail,  105,  153 
Stockton,  Anice  Boudinot,  107- 

109,    in,    118,   123,    124,  126, 

129,  130,  135,  136 
Stockton,  Bayard,  151 
Stockton,  David  de,  100 
Stockton,  (Sir)  Edward,  TOO 
Stockton,  Hannah,  105 
Stockton,  Job,  102 
Stockton,  John  (I.).  101 
Stockton,    John    (II.),    102-105, 

108 

Stockton,  John  (III.),  105 
Stockton,  John  Potter,  148 
Stockton,  John  W.,  118,  125 
Stockton,  Manor  of,  100 
Stockton,  Miss  Maria,  148 
Stockton,  Mrs.  Maria  Potter,  148 
Stockton,  Owen,  100,  101 
Stockton,  Philip,  106,  117 
Stockton,  Rebecca,  105 


448 


Index 


Stockton,  Richard  (I.),  101 

Stockton,  Richard  (II.),  102, 
103,  108 

•Stockton,  Richard  (III.),  103 

Stockton,  Richard  (IV.),  105, 
108 

Stockton,  Richard  ("  The  Sign 
er  "j,  106,  108,  no,  in,  117, 
118,  120,  122,  126,  128 

Stockton,  Richard  (VI.),  119, 
130,  136,  139,  140 

-Stockton,  Richard  (VII.),  140, 
148 

Stockton,  (Commodore)  Robert 
Field,  140-148,  154 

Stockton,  (General)  Robert 
Field,  148 

Stockton,  Samuel  Witham,  106, 
117 

Stockton,  Susannah  (I.),  103 

Stockton,    Susannah   (II.),    105, 

153 

"  Stone  Arabia,'   9 
•Stone,  Herbert,  n,  18,  49 
Stony  Brook,  102 
Stuart,  Gilbert,  262 
Stuyvesant,  Peter,  155 
Sullivan,    (General)   John,    392, 

405,  408,  410 
"  Sycamore,"  89 


Ten  Broeck,  Helen,  182 
Ten  Broeck,  Jane  L.,  176 
Ten  Eyck,  Elsie  Glen,  175 
Ten    Eyck,    Myndart   Schuyler, 

175 

Tennent,  (Rev.)  William,  105 
Thackeray,  Dr.,  69,  71 
Thackeray,  William  Makepeace, 

70,  71 

Thompson,  Mrs.  W.  L.,  89 
Ticonderoga,  73,  205 
Townsend,  Charles,  112 
Townsend,  George  Alfred,  327 


V 


Van  Cortlandt,  Cornelia,  214 
Van  Curler,  Arent,  155 
Van  Rensselaer,  Killian,  175 
Van  Rensselaer,    Mrs.  Margaret 

Glen,  175 
Van  Rensselaer,  Peter  Schuyler, 

175 

Van  Rensselaer,  Sarah,  175 
Van    Slichtenhorst,    Margaritta, 

191 

Vining,  (Captain)  Benjamin,  290 
Vining,  John,  290,  331,  339 
Vining,    John    Middleton,    290, 

T333 

Vining,  Mary  (I.),  302 
Vining,    Mary   (II.),    290,    331, 

333-335,  338-345 
Vining,   Mrs.    Mary   Middleton, 

33i 
Virden,  Miss  Rose,  294 

W 

Wallace,  Mary,  261 

Wrarbridge,  289 

Warren,  Oliver,  22 

Warren,  (Sir)  Peter,  2-5,  14 

Warrenton,  I 

Washington,  Augustine,  98,  99 

Washington,  George,  98,  99, 
122,  130,  135,  151,  179,  219, 
251,  262,  303,  304,  312,  357, 
359-  3^0,  375,  376,  409,  4-^, 
414 

Washington,  John,  99 

Washington,  Lawrence,  99 

Washington,   Mrs.  George,  135, 

219,  413 

Waters,  Sarah,  73 
Wayne,  (General)  Anthony,  338— 

340,  342,  344 

Wellesley,  Marchioness  of,  272 
Wellington,  Duke  of,  267,  272 
Wells/Eleazar,  52,  59 
Wells,  Mrs.  Eleazar,  59 


Index 


449 


Wells,  Mrs.  John  E.,  52 
Wentworth,     (Governor)      Ben- 

ning,   382,  385,  396,  401,  402, 

426 
Wentworth,     Charles     Watson, 

Marquis  of  Rockingham,  386, 

420 
Wentworth,     (Governor)    John, 

385,   386,   389,   390,   392,  393, 

395-397,  40i,  426 
Wentworth,  Lady,  398,  401 
Wentworth,   Michael,   385,  410, 

420,  426 

Wentworth,  Samuel,  385 
Westover,  65,  66,  79 
Wheelock,  Rev.  Dr.,  42 
Wilford,  Florence,  202 
William  and  Mary   College,  69, 

309 


Williams,  Eunice,  192 
Williams,  (Rev.)  Meade  C.,  67, 

74 

Williams,  Susan  Creighton,  79 
Wilson,  (General)  James  Grant, 

189 
Wissenberg,   Catherine,    n,    12, 

29,  58,  63 
Witherspoon,     Rev.     Dr.,     112, 

117 

Wolsey,  Cardinal,  67,  68 
Woodburn,  322,  326,  327 
Woodlawn,  374,  377,  378 
Wynkoop,  Mary,  290 
Wynkoop,  Phoebe,  290 


Younglove,  James  T.,  63 


By  Marion  Harland 

Some  Colonial  Homesteads 

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i.— Charlotte  Bronte  at  Home.       |      2. — William  Cowper. 

Q.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  New  York  and  London 


American  Historic  Towns 


Historic  Towns  of  New  England 

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Dr.  ALBERT  SHAW.  With  135  illustrations.  8°,  gilt 
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